Unlove You
by CanonAntithesis
Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Complete! Please read and review. TroyPay; Penname changed from GimmeABeat to CanonAntithesis
1. Prologue: The Plan

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Prologue: The Plan

"I don't know, man. You sure this isn't dangerous?", asks Zeke Baylor nervously. Zeke is in a kitchen mixing a batch of his world-famous snickerdoodle cookies, which are _her_ favorites.

"Naaa, don't worry about it. Hey, my brother is a pharmacy major. It's not going to hurt her. It'll just embarrass her. It'll be great", retorts Chad Danforth smoothly.

"I'm still not sure. We could get in big trouble."

"No worries. Besides, the whole school saw her drop you like so much garbage after one date, right? Hey, I hear she _really is_ an 'Ice Queen', as in frigid, right?", Chad says lasciviously as he wiggles his eyebrows.

"I can't really say, man. I only took her to the movies once. She seemed nice and all and then, the next day at school, she was all cold and mean", laments Zeke.

--Flashback -- Two weeks ago--

"_I really enjoyed the movie, Zeke, I don't get to go out often. My mom is really strict", says Sharpay in a shy voice._

_Zeke and Sharpay are standing on her front porch. She is leaning against the door and Zeke is leaning on the column of the porch. He is starting to look nervous as now is the moment of reckoning – kiss or no kiss. Zeke is really shy and hasn't yet worked up the nerve to initiate the kiss._

"_I had a really great time, too. You're a lot of fun to be with. You're really different than how you are in school." _

"_Yeah, sorry about that. Sometimes I come on too strong and people get the wrong idea, but I'm not really ...", before Sharpay could finish, she stumbles forward and crashes into Zeke as the front door is quickly pushed open behind her._

"_Sharpay, where have you been?", demands an attractive older woman who appears on the porch with a scowl on her face. "And **who** is **this**?", she states disdainfully as she indicates Zeke._

"_Mom, sorry, ttt..this is ZZ..eke. We went to the movies tonight, remember. I told you about it", Sharpay says in a quiet voice._

"_You **told** me you were going to the movies with **friends**, as in plural, not on a **date**."_

"_Bbbut it was just a movie, mom. Nothing happened."_

"_Don't argue with me, young lady. Get in the house, now!"_

_Sharpay quickly opened the door and tried to look back at Zeke as her mother slammed the door shut behind them._

_The Next Day at School..._

_Zeke walks up to Sharpay who is standing at her locker. _

"_Hey, Sharpay, sorry about last night. I hope you didn't get into too much trouble with your mom. Parents can be a real pain sometimes", Zeke whispers, so their conversation can't be overheard._

"_Pain? Pain?! I'll tell you what can be a 'real pain'! A 'real pain' is a guy who doesn't seem to understand when someone isn't interested in him. The only thing my mom did wrong was stop me from saying what I wanted to say last night", Sharpay shouts at him. Taking a deep breath, she continues, "I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave me the **fuck** alone!"_

_With that, she slams her locker door shut, turns away from him and runs toward the girl's bathroom, leaving Zeke standing in stunned silence along with the rest of the hallway who had witnessed her outburst._

_--End Flashback_

"Right, like I said, 'frigid', 'cold', 'ice'. Come on, it'll be great. We crush up these little pills in the batter. She eats the cookies. She makes a royal fool out of herself in front of her precious _'Drama Club' _and we embarrass the hell out of her. You have the video camera, right?"

"Yeah, I got it. But I'm still nervous about this."

"No one will ever suspect the cookies. They'll never know we had anything to do with this. We give them to her tonight at the cast party; just make sure she's the only one who eats any of them.

"Okay, I made chocolate chip for everyone else. Since she's allergic to chocolate, we'll just tell everyone to save the snickerdoodles for Sharpay."

"Good, 'No harm, no foul'."

"Right, let's do it", says Zeke with a determined look on his face

TBC

What do you think? Does Sharpay have some sort of split personality or is there more to it? Hint: there's more to it.

Can't you just imagine Chad being up to something sneaky like this?

Oh, and even though it seems by the start that this is Zeke and Sharpay, it's really Troy & Sharpay. They'll both show up in the next chapter.

Sorry, I know I shouldn't have three stories going at the same time, but I can't get this one out of my head. This writing thing is a disease.

And of course, this whole writing thing is just a silent cry for help and a need to be noticed, so please notice me and review. Thanks.


	2. Ch 1: Never Had a Choice to Make

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Chapter 1: Never Had a Choice to Make

Loud music is reverberating off the walls of an upscale two story house in suburban Albuquerque that is filled to capacity with partygoers. Cast members from the play Twinkle Town are joined by their friends from the East High basketball team and the scholastic decathlon team. They are spread throughout Chad's large house: laughing, talking, dancing and having a great time. Chad enters the living room and joins Taylor as she watches Martha Cox, the hip-hop girl, as she pops, locks, jambs and breaks to the music. She has really broken out of her shell since she admitted to her hidden interest in hip hop. She is really good and is attracting quite an audience.

"Hey Taylor, where's Troy and Gabriella?", asks Chad, over the noise of the clapping and loud music. "I want to congratulate them on the play."

"I don't know where Troy is, but Gabi was feeling sick after the show and just went straight home. It's really ironic; she was fine during the actual play itself, but then she started throwing up as soon as it ended."

"Man, I hope she's Okay."

"I'm sure it's just nerves", says Taylor as she is munching on a chocolate chip cookie and drinking a soda. And then she adds, "Hey Chad, I just wanted to let you know that I had my doubts about this whole night, but this is a really great party.

"Hey, it's not me, Zeke here, did all the work. Baked his fingers to the bone all day. Right, man?", Chad says.

Zeke walks up as Chad is talking, wearing his tall professional chef's hat, and is standing nervously with a tray of cookies in his hands while he surveys the room, obviously searching for someone.

"What? Uh? Oh yeah. Well, I love to bake", Zeke says distractedly.

Chad pulls him off into the kitchen, leaving Taylor in the living room.

"What's with you, man? You're making me nervous. Relax", orders Chad.

"Where _is _she, Chad? The party's been going strong for over forty-five minutes and she's not here yet."

"You know how she loves to make an appearance. She'll be here. Now act natural and put down that tray."

"I can't; these are _the_ cookies. I have to keep an eye on them and stop people from eating them by accident."

"Yeah, but standing there like that, it looks like you're offering them to people."

"Oh, you're right. Okay, I'll put them here against the back of the counter and no one will see them."

Zeke places the tray on the black granite countertop and pushes it forward against the backsplash. Then, for good measure, he places his chef's hat on it, effectively disguising the tray.

"Good, now have some fun, Zeke. And remember --- **relax**."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Fifteen minutes later, Sharpay and Ryan finally arrive. Zeke wants to run get the cookies immediately, but Chad convinces him that would be too obvious.

Sharpay and Ryan have split up and Sharpay is standing alone as Zeke approaches her.

"Hey, Sharpay. How are you doing?", asked Zeke.

Chad has convinced him that he needs to try to reestablish his friendship with her or it will look suspicious if he suddenly offers her cookies that he baked just for her.

"Um, hi Zeke", Sharpay says quietly. She desperately wants to apologize for how she spoke to him two weeks ago, but she knows it is pointless.

--- Begin Flashback, two weeks ago ---

_Judith Evans enters her daughter's bathroom ten minutes after pulling her into the house._

"_Tomorrow at school you will tell that boy that you do not wish to see him again", she states emphatically_

"_But Mom, I like him."_

"_No Sharpay, you don't. You don't have time for such childish relationships. We have a plan, remember? And **he** is most definitely not in the plan..."_

_The Plan. Sharpay has heard about little else since she was five years old. That's the same year her mother's obsession caused her father to leave them and divorce her. The Plan. Take any and every dance class: ballet, jazz, and tap; add to that music lessons: piano and guitar; then voice: elocution and singing. Audition and win every play possible, including community theater and school plays. Failure is not an option. Summer camps: while other kids went to fun crafty camps with cute themes, she went to drama camps building to the pinnacle of all drama camps: the six week camp at The School of Cinema and Performing Arts at the exclusive Polytechnic University in New York City, to which she has already been accepted for the first session in June. _

_And the goal of The Plan? A well earned chance to attend the most renown performing arts college in the world: The Juilliard School. The Julliard School's Drama Division has approximately 1,000 candidates who audition for about twenty places in each year's freshman class. Sharpay and Ryan (oh, Ryan wasn't excluded in The Plan) would have two of those twenty slots after high school graduation. If they stuck to the plan, that is. And poor Ryan, Sharpay often thought that Mom was harder on him. See, he looked just like Daddy with his blond hair and blue eyes. Of course, this was all from the memory of a five year old since Judith had removed any pictures of their father when they divorced. _

"_Therefore, Sharpay, ... are you listening to me?", quizzed Judith. _

_This brought Sharpay out of her reverie and she answered automatically, "Of course, Mom."_

"_Good, ... as I was saying... tomorrow, you will, as you kids say, **dump** him. Am I clear?"_

"_Yes, ma'am."_

"_Good, then we'll have no need to discuss this again."_

-- End Flashback --

"I just wanted to let you know that there's no hard feelings about, well, you know, what happened with us. I'm good with it", says Zeke to Sharpay.

"Oh, wow. I didn't think you'd feel that way, but I'm really happy you do. I'm so sorry about what I said, but..."

"No need to apologize and just to show you there's no hard feelings, I baked you some cookies. Come on they're right here", he says as he guides her into the kitchen. "I remembered that you're allergic to chocolate, so I made you snickerdoodles."

"snickerdoodles? Wow, I haven't had those in years."

"Well, here they are", Zeke says as he reaches to pick up the tray of cookies. The tray of cookies that wasn't there!!

"Oh no, they're gone!!", Zeke shouts.

Chad hears him and runs into the kitchen.

"Where are they, man?", Chad shouts.

"Settle down guys. It's only some cookies", states Sharpay calmly.

"But,..., but, no one else can eat them; they're special. I mean I baked them just for you, Sharpay", stammers Zeke.

Just then, Troy casually walks back into the kitchen from the other direction, carrying the tray of cookies in one hand while munching on one of them with the other.

"Troy, what the hell are you doing man?!", shouts Chad while grabbing the tray and knocking the cookie out of his hand.

"Whoa, Chad chill out. I'm just eating a cookie. What's wrong with you?", asks Troy.

"But those are Sharpay's cookies. I baked them especially for her because she's allergic to chocolate!", exclaims Zeke.

"Oh sorry, Sharpay. I had no idea", Troy says to Sharpay.

"It's really no problem. I think these two are just overreacting."

Meanwhile, Chad is counting the remaining cookies. There's twelve left. That means ...

"Troy! You ate six cookies?!", accuses Chad.

"Well, all that singing and stuff made me hungry", Troy defends.

"Calm down, you guys. There's still like twelve left and I shouldn't really have more than one anyway", Sharpay points out.

"One!?!", Zeke says incredulously, "that's not enough."

"What do you mean, 'that's not enough'?, asks Sharpay, suspiciously.

"I... I mean you can't even get a good feel for the taste with one cookie. The first one acts as sort of a pallet cleanser and really doesn't count anyway", explains Zeke.

"And besides, I bet you could eat Troy under the table any day of the week", adds Chad.

Troy gives Chad the strangest look. _Sometimes, it seems like he only opens his mouth to switch feet,_ he thinks.

"What _exactly_ do you mean by that?", Sharpay shouts.

"Nothing, he doesn't mean anything other than that he's stupid", explains Zeke. Troy nods his head in agreement.

If it had been any other night, Sharpay would probably have just turned around and walked out, but she remembers back two hours to why she was late for the party in the first place.

-- Beginning Flashback --

_Judith Evans enters Sharpay's room wearing workout clothes with her hair in a ponytail._

"_Sharpay", she calls._

"_Yeah, mom?", Sharpay pops her head out of her large walk-in closet where she is choosing her outfit for the party._

"_**What** are you doing?"_

"_Getting ready for the cast party, of course; Ryan and I are both going. We told you yesterday", Sharpay reminds her._

"_You said it was a **cast **party and if memory serves, you two weren't actually **in** the cast."_

"_Well, yeah, but we were the understudies and besides it's not just for the cast; it's a celebration of sorts for the championship basketball team, the academic decathlon team, **and** the play."_

"_**Jocks and nerds**, Sharpay? Have I spent all this time and effort for you to start socializing with **jocks and nerds**? And regardless, we need to do roadwork tonight."_

_Roadwork, by Judith's definition meant she rode a bicycle and Sharpay ran for five miles while Judith set the pace with the bike._

"_You remember what the scales said this morning, don't you?"_

"_Yeah, I remember", Sharpay resigns._

_Sharpay was a half pound heavy on her daily weigh-in this morning and that was definitely a punishable offense._

_Then Sharpay bravely says, "What if I promise to do ten miles tomorrow?"_

"_Well..."_

"_Please..., then I'll do weights afterwards. Please Mom... I've really been looking forward to this party", Sharpay begs._

"_Alright, but only **diet **sodas and no sweets. You know you have self-control issues."_

"_Yes Mom, I promise."_

-- End Flashback --

Remembering that horrible, yet typical episode with her mom, gives Sharpay newfound resolve and she decides to plunge forward. Taking the tray from Chad's hands, she says, "Well, let's see who can eat more."

And she starts downing cookies as fast as she can.

"Whoa, Sharpay, slow down. You're going to make yourself sick", offers Troy.

"Just jealous that you can't keep up, Bolton?"

"Who said that?", says Troy as he reaches over to take another cookie.

Chad and Zeke slowly back away from the pair and into the hallway.

"Oh man, we're in trouble now. What are we going to do about Troy?", Zeke laments.

"Don't worry. We just need to keep a close eye on Troy so he doesn't do anything crazy, that's all", Chad says confidently.

"I guess... hey, how long before that stuff starts to take effect?"

"My brother says its really powerful and only takes about ten minutes to start."

"Well, better get back in there, then."

"You're right."

Just then, a loud crash is heard from the living room and Chad and Zeke rush in.

Two basketball guys are fighting two skater dudes and it looks like more from both sides are just itching to get into it. And they do. Before you know it, over three-fourths of the room are brawling.

Meanwhile back in the kitchen, Troy and Sharpay are just finishing off the tray of cookies. The final count: eleven for Troy and seven for Sharpay. They are happily sitting on the floor in back of the kitchen and are oblivious to the ruckus in the other room.

"Wow, these are just about the best cookies I've ever eaten", Sharpay sighs happily as she takes the last bite of her cookie.

"Yeah, me too. Wow, I'm feeling pretty good", adds Troy.

Looking up at him with a wistful look in her eyes, Sharpay says, "You're looking pretty good there too, Bolton,..., I mean Troy."

"Yeah, uuh, you too... Uh, hey Sharpay, this party's getting sort of boring. You want to go somewhere and do something a little crazy?", asks Troy.

"Hey, crazy is my middle name", chirps Sharpay.

With that, Troy jumps up, grabs Sharpay's hand and pulls her out the door.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Chad and Zeke have finally broken up the fight and are standing in Chad's demolished living room with dazed looks on their faces. The remaining people start to file out and go home, sensing that the party is definitely over.

"Man, my mom is going to kill me", moans Chad.

"Yeah, you're right, dude. I wouldn't want to be you right now", adds Zeke. "Come on, let's get some ice for that eye of yours", he continues.

Chad had been caught in the crossfire early on in the fight and was now sporting an impressive black eye. They walk into the kitchen and at the same moment they spy the empty cookie tray on the floor, there is suddenly a loud bang as the back door is slammed open and a cello falls to the floor with a rhythmic thud. This is quickly followed by Dutch Whitlock, the cello-playing skater dude.

"Hey, Chad dude, am I too late for the party, man?", Dutch asks.

Ignoring Dutch's question, Chad exclaims, "Oh no, where's Troy and Sharpay?"

"Oh dude, I just passed them on the way in."

Chad quickly jumps over the cello and runs out into his yard, just in time to see Troy's '95 Toyota Camry as it turns the corner and disappears. He dashes back to his car and chases after them.

This night has turned into more trouble than it's worth.

TBC

A/N 1: You know me, research girl, right? There really is a School of Cinema and Performing Arts at Polytechnic University in New York City and there really are 1,000 candidates vying for only 20 slots in The Julliard School's Drama Division.

A/N 2: Also, this is just petty, but I went to school with a Judith and she was the biggest 'B' I've ever known, so I can get my revenge on her by making her a 'B' in my story.

A/N 3: Martha Cox is the hip-hop girl's name, but the cello-playing skater dude is listed as Skater Dude #1. The actor's name is Dutch Whitlock, which I think sounds like a great name for a skater dude.

A/N 4: About Troy's car... yeah, I know it's a really bad one, but there's a reason for that. See in my story, not everyone is wealthy and lives in a huge house. High school teachers don't make that much money. I'm thinking the full size basketball court in the Bolton's yard is just an occupational indulgence. In fact, I'm thinking of having Troy not even be zoned for East High. He only goes there because of his dad. See East High is in the rich section of Albuquerque (in my world), that would explain why the incredibly wealthy Evans kids and the coach's kid go to the same school. What do you guys think? Please let me know. I really want your opinion.

A/N 5: A special thanks to secretcastle. I'm trying to utilize your advise. I added a lot of detail to this chapter than what I originally had. Keep the constructive criticism coming; it is greatly appreciated.

And of course, this whole writing thing is just a silent cry for help and a need to be noticed, so please notice me and review. Thanks.


	3. Ch 2: Sailed Right Thru Your Atmosphere

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

A/N: I'm really proud of this chapter, particularly the stuff at the end, but I don't want to give anything away. Please read and review and the notes at the end. Thanks.

Chapter 2: Sailed Right Through Your Atmosphere

Clean dishes fill most of the counter space in the Danforth's kitchen. Zeke is drying the last of the glasses as he looks up and sees Chad slowly walk in and flop into a chair.

"Where have you been, man? Everyone left over an hour ago", Zeke asks Troy.

"I've been drivin' all over town and I can't find them anywhere", laments Chad.

After Zeke put down the glass, he picks up the 409 and a sponge and starts wiping down the rest of the kitchen. "Well, what are we are going to do? How are we going to find them?"

Chad stands up and starts nervously pacing back and forth as he talks. "I know, we'll call George and his roommate. After all, they invented this drug, maybe they can help us figure out how to find them. It's not like we can ask anyone else for help."

Suddenly, Chad stops pacing and starts watching Zeke. Zeke has finished wiping down the entire room and he has now started sweeping the floor.

"What _are_ you doing, dude?"

"I'm cleaning", Zeke explains, "When I get nervous and worried, I clean."

"Oh, well", not knowing quite how to respond, "I'm going to call George."

As Chad is talking to his brother, George, he walks into the living room to get away from the über cleaning Zeke. George and his roommate, Frank, agree to come right over. When Chad hangs up the phone, he looks around his demolished living room and groans. How is he going to drive all over this city again, looking for Troy and Sharpay when he _really_ needed to get this room cleaned up before his mother gets back ... in ... he checks his watch... oh no, in less than one hour. It couldn't be done. It would take a professional cleaning crew of ten people to get this place clean in only an hour.

Chad walks slowly back into the kitchen as he becomes resigned to his imminent death. As he enters, Zeke is just finishing mopping the floor. Suddenly, Chad has an epiphany as he watches Zeke's frantic cleaning. _It's nerves and worry that make Zeke clean._

"Hey man, I was just thinking... You know... this could be worse than any of us could imagine. What if something really bad happened to them when they left here? What if they were in some horrible car accident? What if they died? They'd have to be autopsied, right? Well, during the autopsy, they're going to find the drug and they're also going to see that the last thing they both ate were snickerdoodles and it's not going to be hard to trace those snickerdoodles right back to you, man!", Chad finishes.

The entire house is sparkling clean in twenty minutes flat. In fact, when George and Frank arrive, Zeke was just placing the now framed picture of Michael Crawford back inside Mrs. Danforth's now immaculate refrigerator.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"I can't believe you guys actually did this. When you asked me about sneaking our drug into some sort of cookie, I thought it was a joke. Mom is going to kill you, Chad", George admonishes his little brother.

Chad, George, and Frank are sitting around the kitchen table to discuss the situation and find a possible solution. Zeke joins them with a pot of coffee and a plate of cookies. George and Frank casually avoid the cookies.

"Well, it was just supposed to be a joke, right Zeke?"

"Yeah", Zeke mumbles as he starts to focus on an invisible spot on the table as he attacks it with his Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

Just then, they hear a loud knock on the front door. Chad answers it to find Ryan standing there with a concerned look on his face.

"Have you guys seen Sharpay? We got separated when the fighting started and I thought she had caught a ride home with Kelsi, but she didn't and I'm starting to get really nervous.

"Oh, boy. Come on in, Ryan. We're all in here at the table", Chad says as he shows Ryan into the kitchen.

As they enter the kitchen, they hear Frank saying, "Okay, let's calm down and think logically. How much of the drug did you actually give this basketball star and the drama queen?"

"Drama queen? Drugs?!?", shouts Ryan. "What are you talking about? You drugged my sister?"

"Calm down, now. It's not what it seems."

"Oh... well, you had me worried. But what was I thinking? You guys wouldn't do something like that, right?"

"Actually, they did _exactly _what you're thinking", George says, indicating Troy and Zeke, "but you need to calm down, so we can figure out how to find them".

"What did you do?", asks Ryan.

"It was just supposed to be a practical joke, man", Chad explains.

"A _practical joke_? To drug someone?"

"Look, just let him explain because we really need to get started here and your outbursts aren't really helping things", Frank tells him.

"Just who the hell are you two anyway and what do you have to do with any of this?", Ryan asks angrily.

"Hi, I'm George, Chad's brother, and this is my roommate, Frank", George says amiably, as he offers Ryan his hand, which Ryan refuses to take. "We invented the drug", he adds proudly.

"Look, sit down and we'll explain what happened, but you have to promise to try and stay calm", offers Chad.

"Okay, I'll try", replies Ryan.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Fifteen minutes later...

"...and that's how it happened. I swear it was just supposed to be a harmless practical joke", finishes Chad as he is, once again, pacing the floor. Zeke has said very little.

"Well, I think it's really childish and petty of you two."

"Oh, we couldn't agree with you more. If I could turn back the clock a few hours, man, would I ever", Chad laments as sinks back into his chair.

"Okay, so back to the task at hand... how much of the drug did they actually consume?", Frank asks.

"Well, we're not sure, but they ate eighteen cookies between them. Right, Zeke?", Chad says.

"Mmmmm", Zeke mumbles.

"Okay", George says slowly, "and how many pills did you use?"

"Well, we used all that you gave us --- the whole bottle."

"THE WHOLE BOTTLE!", George and Frank simultaneously shout.

"Are you insane?", George continues, "there were fifty pills in that bottle. Twenty pills, crushed and added to eighteen cookies, would have been enough to get them sky high."

"Would as many as we added be dangerous?", Zeke cautiously asks.

"No, not really. That's the beauty of this baby; it's impossible to O.D. on it", Frank informs them.

"The only problem a large amount of the drug will cause is that it will make the effects last longer", George adds.

"How long will it last?"

"Well, its effects are cumulative. So...", Frank says as he pulls out his calculator and starts punching numbers frantically into it, "if we assume they consumed an equal amount between the two of them and that was all fifty tablets, so that's twenty-five each... then, the effects should last approximately ... twelve hours. How long ago did they eat the cookies?"

"It was about three hours ago, right Zeke?", Chad tells them.

Zeke isn't even responding anymore.

"I have another question guys. Would it make them do anything really crazy-like?", Chad asks nervously.

"No, not really. It will just reduce their inhibitions and make them..., how do I say this, _happy..., really, really, happy_, if you know what I mean", Frank explains as he grins slyly.

"If my sister is hurt because of this...", threatens Ryan.

"Oh, no. This is so _not of the good_", moans Chad.

"Well, we're not going to find them by sitting around the kitchen all night, guys. We both drove our own cars, so we can split up and search for clues. Right, 'Raggy?", says George, who is channeling Scooby-Doo.

"Be serious, George. But you're right, we should split up", Chad says, "We can take four cars. I don't think, Zeke here, is going to be much help." And then to Zeke, he says, "Zeke man, stay here, relax and bake. It'll make you feel better. We'll call you when we find something."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

At six o'clock in the morning, after over eight hours of searching, Chad is ready to give up. He is driving through a section of Albuquerque that he has previously only seen on an episode of Cops. They couldn't possibly be here. Then suddenly, he sees it --- Troy's rusted out, faded blue, Toyota Camry, in the parking lot of the OK Seven. What in the world are they doing here?

Before he does anything else, Chad calls Ryan.

"Ryan, I think I found them. Meet me in the parking lot of the OK Seven, it's a little motel right off route 351, west of town. ... Don't ask me, just get over here."

Chad walks into the office. It looks like something out of a bad episode of the CSI: Miami. _Seedy_ and _run-down_ would be an improvement for this place.

"Hello, anybody here?", Chad calls out cautiously.

"Yeah, yeah, hold yer horses. I'm coming", comes a voice from the back room.

An old man with greasy black hair and wearing an even greasier gray shirt limps slowly up to the desk. He is absentmindedly scratching his stomach as he looks Chad up and down.

"Um hi, I wonder if you could help me? I'm looking for some friends", Chad asks politely.

"Friends, uh? Well son, I'm sure any _friends_ I might be able to direct you to are already occupied, you know what I mean? You might want to try around eight or nine o'clock tonight. Your _friends_ might be more accommodating, you know what I mean?", he says lasciviously.

Chad couldn't help himself; he was sure he blushed. "No, no you don't understand what I'm asking. I'm looking for a guy and a girl."

"Threesome, eh? Well, I don't go for that sort of thing myself, but whatever floats your boat, you know what I mean?"

Chad is really blushing now. "No, no, and no. Please listen to me. I'm looking for my friends. I think they checked in here last night and they might be in trouble. The guy was tall, sandy hair and the girl was, well,..., hot, with long, blond hair and well,..., hot."

"Well, you know most of my clientèle like to maintain their anonymity, you know what I mean?", the clerk says as the holds out his greasy palm.

"Oh, right. Let me see what I have", Chad says as he digs around in his pocket for some money.

He comes up with $12.56, which must be enough to breech the clerk's confidence because he turns the old-fashioned paper register around and starts reading.

"Let's see. John Doe,..., John Doe,..., John K. Doe. Well, that one had a little imagination", he mumbles as he moves his finger down the page. "Ah, here it is --- Mr. and Mrs. John Doe. I remember them... couldn't keep their hands off each other. I didn't think they were going to make it to the room, you know what I mean?"

"Just tell me where they are,..., please", he adds.

"Room 18, the honeymoon suite. Out the door and to the left. Here's the spare key and you three have fun now, you know what I mean?"

Blushing ferociously, Chad runs back out to the parking lot just as Ryan drives up.

"What are they doing _here_?", Ryan's anger was back.

"Don't ask, man. The clerk says they're in room 18. It's this way", Chad says as he indicates to the left.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Sharpay is lying on her stomach in the bottom of a small boat in the middle of the ocean. No, that's not right --- it's not the ocean. This is a gentle motion --- much too smooth for the ocean. It's a lake. That's it. Sharpay is lying on her stomach in the bottom of a small boat rocking gently in the middle of a tranquil lake. No, that's still not it. It's not the bottom of a boat; it's too soft --- like a soft pillow. No, that's still not it, either --- it's not that soft. More firm-like and warm and comfortable. Okay, so she is lying on her stomach on a firm, but not hard, and warm surface in a small boat rocking gently in the middle of a tranquil lake. She has never felt more relaxed in her life --- relaxed, safe, loved, sated. _Sated_? That sounded like something from one of those trashy romance novels she found in a box of her mom's, hidden in the attic last summer. But that was definitely the feeling and it was wonderful.

She can feel herself starting to wake up and she doesn't want to do that yet. As is her custom, when she doesn't want to wake up, she reaches her right hand over to grip her pillow (or whatever it was) more firmly to snuggle back down into the covers. However, as she moves her arm she feels a sharp, burning pain on her right shoulder. _Ouch_, she thinks, _I'm not doing that again_ and she quickly moves her hand back to its previous position.

Then, she becomes aware of something holding her around her waist, but she isn't alarmed. It just enhances her warm, safe feeling. The comforting, safe, _something_, squeezes her briefly and she feels warmth spread throughout her body. The arousing kind of warmth that usually proceeds the relaxed, safe, loved, and sated feeling. She unconsciously lets out a pleasurable moan.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy is slowly waking up. He is lying on his back in his own comfortable bed. Buddy, his black lab, is currently lying sprawled over half of Troy's right side. Mom must have let him in in an effort to make Troy get up and take him for a walk. It was weird, though, because Buddy has never smelled this nice before. He usually smells like a combination of Alpo and dirty gym socks, but today Buddy smells like strawberries and cream. Then, Troy realizes that his normal anxious waking state has not _risen_ to the occasion, so to speak. That's really strange because he's been waking _up_, religiously for the past five years. But he doesn't have that feeling at all today. He feels really relaxed --- relaxed, safe, loved, sated. _Sated_, where did that word come from? He doesn't even know what it means.

Next, Buddy starts pawing him on his left shoulder. At the same time, Troy realizes that he is possessively hugging Buddy, the new, sweet-smelling Buddy, who feels much, much softer than he did yesterday when Troy brushed him. He moves to hold Buddy closer by tightening his right arm around him and suddenly feels a sharp, burning pain on his right bicep. _Ouch_, he thinks, _I'm not doing that again _and he quickly relaxes his arm as he hears Buddy moan. He hears Buddy moaning in a decidedly human voice --- a decidedly human, female voice. _Ah_, there's that normal waking _up_ feeling. Wait! _Female_? His eyes pop open just as four other events happen in rapid succession...

The door bursts open as Chad and Ryan come running into the room, both of them yelling simultaneously.

He looks over and realizes that Buddy is in actuality, Sharpay. She is the one lying sprawled half over his body; her very naked body lying on his very naked body.

Suddenly, all of the events of the night before come rushing back to him. And he means _all_ of the events: the car ride, the fun, the laughing, the kissing, the tattoo, _the tattoo?_, the motel room, oh, yeah..., _the motel room_.

Finally, even though he is still confused and dazed about what's happening, he realizes that he has never felt a stronger love and sense of protectiveness for any one person as he is feeling at this very moment, for one, Sharpay Evans.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Sharpay comes to a full wakeful state as four other events happen in rapid succession...

The door bursts open as Chad and Ryan come running into the room, both of them yelling simultaneously.

She looks up and realizes that her pillow is in actuality, Troy, and the gentle swaying of the boat is the feel of his chest as it rhythmically rises and falls. She is lying sprawled half over his body; her very naked body lying on his very naked body.

Suddenly, all of the events of the night before come rushing back to her. And she means _all_ of the events: the car ride, the fun, the laughing, the kissing, the tattoo, _the tattoo?_, the motel room, oh, Lord..., _the motel room_.

Finally, even though she is still confused and dazed about what's happening, she realizes that she has never felt a stronger love and sense of belonging than she is feeling at this very moment, for one, Troy Bolton.

TBC

Well, there it is. This is my favorite chapter to date and I'm rather proud of this final scene in the hotel room. If you like it, please tell me, otherwise I will assume you think it sucks. If you really don't like it, tell me that too and I will try to improve in the future.

A/N 1: About this mysterious wonder drug... After consulting with my technical advisor about what I wanted this drug to do, Bill said, (look Bill, you're famous), there was no drug in existence that would do all the things that I want this one to do. Here's my requirements: 1) Not change chemical composition when cooked, 2) Have no taste when hidden in a baked good, 3) work quickly and last all night, 4) release inhibitions and make someone feel very loving, but allow them to remember everything they did in vivid detail, and 5) but not impair their motor functions like driving and ah, other motor functions, know what I mean?

While Bill says there are some drugs which have these properties, there is no single drug which has all these properties. How Bill knows all this, I don't want to ask. Anyway, I decided on a completely fabricated, ie, made-up narcotic which I am tentatively calling by the acronym, ICBIGATASWAG, which stands for: I Can't Believe I Got A Tattoo And Slept With A Guy/Gal drug.

Please don't try this at home.

A/N 2: The OK Seven is a cross between the Motel Six and a Super Eight.

A/N 3: I _know _that Zac Efron is really not what one would call 'tall', but since he's a basketball star on a championship team, I'm pretending he's tall.

A/N 4: Be forewarned. Angst Alert Ahead. Turn back now.

And of course, this whole writing thing is just a silent cry for help and a need to be noticed, so please notice me and review. Thanks.


	4. Ch 3: Closed My Eyes and Landed Here

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Oh, about this whole title change on the story thing... I originally called my story "Unlove Me", which I think fits the story and I like it. However since, it was inspired by the song "Unlove **You**", I kept mixing up the words and since I don't think Ashley Tisdale will let me change her song, I decided to change the title of my story. Just makes life easier. Enjoy and keep those reviews coming.

Tissue Alert Ahead Warning.

Chapter 3: Closed My Eyes and Landed Here

Troy instinctive clutches Sharpay closer to him as he pulls the bed sheets up to cover her as much as possible. She responds by holding on to him just as tightly. They are both staring wide-eyed at Ryan and Chad who are both yelling at them incoherently and stalking towards the bed.

Finally, they calm down enough to take turns yelling at them instead of shouting simultaneously.

Ryan shouts, "What the hell do you two think you're doing?"

And then Chad laments, "Oh God, this is worse than I imagined", as he is trying to not look at the obviously naked couple in the bed.

Ryan starts to nod his head in agreement and then realizing what Chad just said, asks instead, "What are you doing imagining those kinds of things about my sister?"

"Me, why are you yelling at me? I'm not the one lying in bed with _your sister._"

_True_, thinks Ryan, so he turns his attention to Troy. "Get ... Away ... From ... Her ... Bolton!"

"Ryan, calm down and leave Troy alone. I'm right where I want to be", Sharpay states intensely.

"You are?", Troy asks her quietly.

"Oh, yes. I'm absolutely positive", she replies sincerely.

"Well, what do you think _Mom_ would have to say about this?", Ryan asks threateningly.

"You wouldn't dare", Sharpay says in a low voice.

"Oh yes, I would. We're a team and I haven't worked my butt off all these years on this plan of Mom's to have you blow it by becoming unfocused because you suddenly find yourself in lust with some jock."

"It's not like that, Ryan. You, of all people should know, I've always liked Troy."

"You have?", asks Troy, "I never knew", he says as he gazes into her soulful brown eyes.

"Well, I never told you", Sharpay says quietly as she gazes back at him.

"Ahem. I just want to say that I am just **way uncomfortable** standing here right now. I think I'll just step outside for a breath of fresh air", announces Chad. He quickly leaves through the still open door and closes it behind him.

Now that he was alone with them, Ryan decides to take control of the situation.

"Sharpay", Ryan calls, bringing her focus away from Troy, "you may like _him_, but have you ever asked yourself if he actually likes _you_ back. Well, Bolton?"

"Well, of course I do; I wouldn't be here otherwise", Troy defends.

"Then why did you have to get her strung out on some illicit drugs before you told her. Or was that just part of your plan? Eh, Bolton? Did you get her high on drug-laced cookies just so you could get into her pants?", accuses Ryan.

"Drugs! What drugs?", asks Troy and Sharpay at the same time.

"Oh, don't play innocent with me, Bolton! Isn't it true that you and your buddies are the ones who encouraged Sharpay to eat all those cookies in the first place?"

Sharpay thinks back to the odd way Chad and Zeke were acting at the party --- how they seemed to be encouraging her to eat those cookies... _Could Ryan be telling the truth?_ She looks up questioningly at Troy as she scoots slowly away from him on the bed.

"Sharpay, you can't possibly believe him", Troy implores.

"I...I don't know what to believe right now..."

"Why don't we ask the mastermind himself?", Ryan says as he walks to the door. He hates what he is about to do, but he knows in his heart it's for the best. She doesn't have time to waste with this stupid jock. He opens the door and calls Chad back into the room.

"Are they dressed yet?", Chad asks cautiously.

"No, but I don't think it's going to be long now", Ryan answers knowingly and then, as they enter the room, Ryan turns on Chad as he hisses, "Why don't you explain to Sharpay how **you all** had this crazy plan to embarrass her by tricking her into eating drug-laced cookies, Chad?"

"Um, well, it was just supposed to be a harmless practical joke", Chad says defensively. "All in good fun, you know?", he adds as he lets out a nervous little laugh.

"A practical joke", Sharpay chokes out as her eyes fill with tears. She moves to the edge of the bed as she wraps the sheet around herself, stands up and the slowly starts backing away from Troy who is still on the bed. He quickly grabs a pillow to cover himself and sits up straight. "Is this true, Troy? You knew about this. You...you brought me here as a practical joke? Every...everything you said, everything we did? It was just a big joke to you and your friends?"

"No, no, I swear Sharpay. I didn't know anything about this. I'm a victim here too", declares Troy quickly.

"You don't believe him, do you, Shar? You know how he conspired to manipulate the basketball game, so he could sneak into the call back."

"Yeah... but...", Sharpay starts to say as she continues to back away from the bed.

"No buts, Sharpay, he's manipulated this whole night. Who's idea was it to share those cookies with you, uh? I bet it wasn't Chad's or Zeke's."

"I...I don't remember...", Sharpay mumbles.

"And I bet it was his idea to leave the party, right?", Ryan continues.

"Well...yeah, but... I'm so confused", Sharpay trails off as she suddenly turns and bolts for the bathroom and slams the door shut.

"Stop it, Ryan! You're twisting everything around!", shouts Troy.

"Come on, put your clothes on and let's get out of here", Chad advises quietly, "You do not want to get into that, man --- too much drama", Chad finishes intensely as he starts to pick up Troy's clothes off the floor and hand them to him.

"But I can't just leave her, Chad. Not like this...", Troy moans as he starts to get dressed.

"Give her time to settle down. She's not going to listen to you now, anyway. Wait a couple of days and then talk to her when everyone has had a chance to calm down. Trust me; _I understand the female mind_."

"But I thought you said...", Troy questions.

Chad quickly cuts him off with, "Well, I've learned a lot since then. Let's go."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Ryan taps his knuckles gently on the bathroom door. He is holding Sharpay's clothes in his arms and he calls out to her. "Sharpay, you okay in there?"

"No, now go away", comes her muffled voice from behind the door.

"It's alright, Shar. They've left. It's safe to come out. I've...I've got your clothes", he offers.

Sharpay cracks open the door and whispers out to Ryan as she reaches for her clothes, "Troy left me; I...I mean...he _left_?", croaks Sharpay as she closes the door again.

"Of course he did Sharpay. Weren't you listening to me? He got what he wanted, so he left." Ryan can hear her start crying behind the door and it's tearing him up inside, but he still has his convictions that he's doing the right thing. He just has to be strong enough for the both of them.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"You're awfully quiet, man", Chad points out, breaking the silence.

Chad and Troy have been riding in Chad's car for about fifteen minutes in complete silence.

"What? ... Yeah ... well, I've got a lot to think about", Troy replies quietly.

"Yeah, I guess", Chad trails off and then continues thoughtfully, "Boy, _you and Sharpay_ ... I never saw that coming."

"What do you mean by that?", Troy asks as he looks over at Chad.

"Oh nothing, but ... well, what was it like, uh?", Chad asks obnoxiously.

"What was _what like_?"

"You know ... Sharpay, man. I mean, I've never really liked her, but she is pretty hot and I've heard stories about her, you know? Like she's really been around."

Troy comes to full attention now and sits up straight and begins listening intently.

Chad continues, oblivious to the hard look Troy is giving him, "So is it true, what they say, man --- that she's really, you know, experienced and all?"

Troy turns fully in his seat to face Chad now.

"Don't ... Talk ... About ... Her ... Like ... That --- EVER. Do you understand me?", Troy says darkly, emphasizing each word individually.

"Yeah sure, chill man. I didn't mean anything by it, I swear", Chad says nervously.

"Like you didn't _mean anything_ with the whole drug-laced cookies, Chad?", Troy continues with anger clearly in his voice.

"I'm really sorry about this whole thing Troy. It was all a big mistake, you know", Chad says honestly.

"Well, at least you're admitting it", concedes Troy.

"Absolutely, man. You weren't supposed to come anywhere near those cookies. It was just supposed to be Sharpay, you know. She'd eat the cookies, get a little loopy, act a fool in front of her precious drama geeks. You know, a little payback for that whole call back fiasco --- just a harmless prank, dude."

"_Just supposed to be Sharpay_?", Troy repeats, "Why you son of a bitch! I can't believe you would do something like this. How could you be so stupid, so irresponsible?"

"Well, Zeke was the one who bake 'em", Chad replies lamely.

"Just don't talk to me anymore, okay?", Troy says as he turns and faces forward, staring intently at the road.

"Yeah... sure... whatever."

Ten minutes of silence later, Chad pulls up in front of Troy's house.

"So, we're here", Chad says as Troy starts to open the car door, "Hey, wait man, before you get out, I just wanted to say something..."

Turning back to Chad, Troy says, "Stop right there, Chad. I don't want to hear anymore of your lame excuses or stupid apologies."

"That's not what I was going to say..."

Troy stares at him expectantly.

"Okay... it's just that we've been friends, like, forever, right?", Troy nods and Chad continues, "Well, I've been thinking and even though I don't particularly like Sharpay", sensing Troy's growing irritation, Chad quickly adds, "Please, let me finish... Anyway, if she's what makes you happy, then I'll support you anyway I can, okay?"

"Thanks, man", Troy says sincerely, realizing what it took for Chad to say this to him.

"But, please understand this one thing... I think I'm right about what I said earlier. You need to give her a chance to settle down. At least wait til tomorrow before you try to call her."

Seeing the shocked look on Troy's face, Chad continues, "Yeah, I know you ... I know you were planning on calling her as soon as you got inside, but don't do it. It'll only make things worse. Promise, you'll wait, okay?"

_Maybe he's right. We're all pretty emotional and ragged out right now_, Troy thinks. Then aloud, he says, "Okay, I promise and thanks, friend."

Troy gets out of the car and slowly walks toward his house. Since today is President's Day, there is no school and his parents will still be asleep.

As Chad drives back to his own house, he can't help but think that things were going to get decidedly worse before they get better.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Ryan and Sharpay pull into their drive at a little past seven o'clock in the morning. Sharpay hasn't said a word since she asked if Troy had left her. She dried her tears before she left that bathroom and has resolved to not shed another.

She is currently sitting with her arms wrapped around herself and staring off into space. Ryan turns off the engine and gets out of the car; Sharpay still hasn't moved. Ryan sighs as he walks around and opens her door.

"Sharpay...Sharpay", he repeats, "we're home. You need to get out of the car now", Ryan adds gently.

Slowly, Sharpay looks up at him and says in a quiet voice, "You won't tell Mom, will you Ryan? She'd be so disappointed in me."

"Of course not..., we're a team, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember...and Ryan?", she adds.

"Yeah, Shar?"

"You won't ever leave me, will you?", Sharpay asks in a weak voice.

"Never Sharpay; I swear."

TBC

Dang, I wrote this thing and it almost made **me** cry. Hope you liked it.

A/N 1: Boy, I hated making Ryan out to be the baddie in this one, but that's what it took to make the story work. And besides, his intentions really are good, right and he's going to redeem himself later, uh, maybe (her eyes dart left and right and she gets an evil grin on her face).

A/N 2: And that Chad... Isn't he the biggest jerk ever? However, he does have some of the best lines in that whole movie, don't you think? Who can find the two best Chad lines that I lifted and put in here. The first line is exactly like the movie --- I watched the scene again to get it right; the second one is just alluded to, but I think it's cuter.

A/N 3: President's Day explanation: For those folks who don't live in the US, President's Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the 3rd Monday in February. It combines George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Most school districts in the US observe it, as well as banks, public libraries, etc.

See my assumption, which I don't think I ever fully explained is that there would be two showings of Twinkle Town: the premiere on Saturday night and a matinée on Sunday afternoon. That's because that's how it's done where I live. Remember the party takes place after the final show. Anyway, a matinée gives them time to do all that important stuff, like getting glammed up for the party and say, baking cookies, for instance. Then with no school the next day, they have time to recover. I'm sure that's why Mrs. Darbus planned it that way. LOL

If you think this needs more explanation in the actual story itself, let me know and I'll add and go back and replace those offending chapters.

And of course, this whole writing thing is just a silent cry for help and a need to be noticed, so please notice me and review. Thanks.


	5. Ch 4: Wear Your Tattoo Like a Stain

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

This one's for **U.S. Princess** and **secretcastle** who requested more details about the **night;** hope I did it justice.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, I absolutely LOVED the song, Unlove You, from the first moment I heard it and the line, "Wear your tattoo like a stain", is what originally inspired this whole story. I'm obviously very literal. I had this crazy idea about wouldn't it be cool if they went out, got drunk and ended up with a tattoo the next day. Well, that's how it started out, anyway. Who knows how it's going to end up. Hope you like this installment.

Chapter 4: Wear Your Tattoo Like a Stain

Ryan and Sharpay walk into the house as quietly as possible and Sharpay goes immediately up to her room. She mechanically changes into her sleeping shirt and crawls exhaustedly under the covers. It is amazing how emotional trauma can make one feel so physically exhausted. She is asleep in seconds.

_**To sleep, perchance to dream- ay, there's the rub." --From Hamlet** _

A smile comes to Sharpay's face as she remembers...

_They run out of the house like little kids flying out of school at the start of spring break. Troy leads Sharpay out to the street where he parked his car._

"_You've got to be kidding me? That car looks older than me", Sharpay comments as Troy's digs in his pocket for the key to his 1995 four-door Toyota Camry._

"_Well, it gets me where I need to be and right now I need to be with you", he flirts as he opens her door and tries to sneak a kiss on her cheek._

_She playfully ducks her head to avoid him as she sits down on the seat. Troy sighs happily as he runs around to get in the driver's side. He has never felt this free before. _

_As they take off down the street, Sharpay looks around the car in barely controlled disapproval. "What kind of car is this anyway?"_

"_It's a 1995 Toyota Camry; it was my mom's car until she got a new one. Then she gave it to me when a got my license last year", explains Troy._

"_Oh, you're seventeen already?", Troy nods and she continues, "Ryan and I don't turn seventeen until July. When we turned sixteen, Mom bought us a brand new BMW 650 Coupe. We share it."_

"_Wow, must be nice."_

"_Not really... she holds it over our heads a lot, you know. Like when we didn't get the leads in the musicale, she took it away from us. We only got the car back tonight. We've been riding the bus to school the last few weeks."_

"_Man, that's harsh."_

"_That's my mom... Hey, I really don't want to talk about her right now", she says and then adds, "do you?"_

"_No way", Troy replies and as he reaches to turn on the CD player asks, "want to listen to some music?"_

_Before she can reply and ask him if he has the new Ashley Tisdale CD, she hears strange sounds blaring from the speakers. "What in the world is that?"_

"_Oh, it's a classic --- Queen."_

"_Queen, that's a weird name for a song."_

"_That's not the name of the song;", Troy says incredulously, "that's the name of the band. The song's '**Bohemian Rhapsody**_ _'."_

"_Oh, that's much better", Sharpay says sarcastically._

Sharpay giggles in her sleep...

_The song starts with voices singing a capella in perfect harmony..._

_Is this the real life?   
Is this just fantasy?  
Caught in a landslide  
No escape from reality _

"_Well, that's the goofiest thing I've ever heard."_

"_Give it a chance", Troy advises._

_Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Troy is singing lead and, believe it or not, Sharpay is singing backup._

Troy

_I see a little silhouetto of a man_

Sharpay _  
Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango_

Together _  
Thunderbolt and lightning - very very frightening me   
_Sharpay, high _- Gallileo, _Troy, low -_ Gallileo,  
_Sharpay, high - _Gallileo, _Troy, low -_ Gallileo,  
_Together

_Gallileo Figaro - magnifico _

_By the time they have listened to the outrageously fun song for the fifth time, they have their parts perfected._

"_Wow, you were right. That was really fun. But I still have no idea what it's about", Sharpay points out. She looks up as she realizes the car has stopped. "Where are we?", she ask quietly, already knowing the answer._

"_The river..."_

"_Oh...", Sharpay whispers._

_The Rio Grande river runs north-south just to the West of Albuquerque. Troy has parked the car right next to the bank under the magnificent cottonwood trees. The light from the full moon is streaming through the canopy formed by the trees, allowing them to see each other clearly in the dark. The river is also the most famous and secluded 'make-out' spot in all of Albuquerque. _ _  
_

"_So...", Troy starts, "what a night, uh?"_

"_Um, yeah. 'what a night', but hey, I'm really having a good time. Kind of surprising, really. You know --- basktetball guy and drama girl, right? But hey, I guess you're a drama guy now too, right?"_

"_Yeah, performing was a lot of fun, but..."_

"_Oh, I agree,", she interrupts and says excitedly, "I live to perform."_

"_Oh, you can tell that by watching you. You're really good, but I was going to say that, well, singing with you just now was more fun than that whole play thing, you know?"_

"_Really?", she asks unbelievingly._

"_Yeah, I've...I've always,... you know, liked you."_

"_You have?", asks Sharpay, continuing her disbelief._

"_Well, yeah, but it's just with the guys and all...", Troy starts, but before he can continue, Sharpay does something totally unexpected --- unexpected as much by her as by Troy._

_Quickly, before she loses her nerve, she reaches over with her right hand, grabs the back of Troy's neck and pulling him toward her, initiates her first 'real' kiss ever. His initial surprise gives way to pleasure and he eagerly returns the kiss and takes control by nudging open her mouth with his seeking tongue. He's interrupted from any further explorations by a yelp from Sharpay and he pulls back suddenly. Did he bite her?_

_Seeing his questioning look, she responds, "Gear shift", as she moves back from the offending piece of metal that is jabbing her in the side._

"_Oh...you, umm... want to... you know?", he asks shyly, indicating the back seat._

"_Oh yes, definitely."_

Sharpay rolls over and hugs her pillow as she remembers.

_Five minutes later, Sharpay is lying reclined across the back seat and Troy is lying half on top of her and half hanging off the seat so he doesn't crush her --- he never noticed how small she was before. She is running her hands through his thick hair and he is partially propped up on his elbows and is kneading his fingers through her hair. They are kissing hungrily as their tongues battle for dominance. Just then, Troy takes his left hand and runs it down, barely caressing her right side until he reaches the bottom of her short skirt. He voraciously grabs her thigh and starts to slide his hand under her skirt._

_Reality slams into Sharpay like a stage-diver into a mosh pit at a Lollapalooza concert and she quickly withdraws her hands from his hair and puts them on his shoulders to push him back. They are both breathing heavily and Troy looks at her with a puzzled look on his face._

"_I...I'm sorry. This is going too fast for me. I...I've never...", she trails off as she struggles to sit up._

"_Really?", he asks incredulously, "but I heard...oh, God, I'm sorry... I didn't mean...", he mumbles awkwardly as he sits down in the seat next to her._

"_It's okay, I know what **they** say and I don't know where any of that started, but it's not true. I'm not even allowed to date. My mom thinks I should have other priorities. Tonight's the first time I've even kissed another guy, besides a peck on the cheek with Ryan", she adds embarrassingly._

"_Well, you seem to be really good at it."_

"_Guess I'm a fast learner or maybe,... you're just a really good teacher."_

"_Um, thanks", Troy acknowledges, shyly, "so how 'bout we get out of here and go do that **crazy** thing I was talking about earlier."_

"_You mean this,", she says indicating with her hand between the two of them, "isn't the **crazy**_ thing_."_

"_Oh no..."_

_HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM_

_They listen to the Classic Rock station as they drive back into the city and Sharpay has to admit she is actually enjoying it. She is jamming with the music and not paying attention to where they are, when the car suddenly pulls into a parking lot and stops. She looks up in shock, the neon sign of the **O Seven Motor Lodge**, glaring at her. Always a detail person, she thinks irreverently, they need to fix the **K**._

"_Um...Troy, I realllly don't think I'm ready for something like this", she says indicating the motel._

"_What?", Troy asks in surprise as he looks to where she is pointing. "Oh God,... no, no, no... that's not where we're going. We're going there", he finishes quickly pointing to the building next the motel --- **Heart Tattoo & Body Piercing**._

"_Are you joking?", she asks disbelievingly._

"_Nope. You said you were willing to do something crazy. Well, this is how I define crazy. Not chickening out on me, are you?"_

"_No way, remember, crazy is my middle name."_

"_Alright, let's go."_

_Five minutes later, they are in front of Ramone, the owner of the tattoo parlor. They know this is his name because it's tattooed across his bare chest along with scores of other tattoos forming an intricate mural on his body. He looks like a cast member from **Miami Ink**._

"_Okay kiddies,... I know why you **think** you're here, but it ain't gonna happen. So why don't you two slices of white bread turn yourselves right around and go back to the mall and find a nice, safe, temporary henna tattoo to impress all your friends with", Ramone says condescendingly._

"_Wait", Sharpay says as she opens her purse, "maybe this will change your mind." She pulls out a wad of twenties and offers them to the tattoo artist._

"_Ah, sir and madam...who wants to go first..."_

_HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM_

_He ushers them into the back room which contains a black leather chair that looks like a cross between a medieval torture device, a chiropractic chair and a dentist's chair. _

"_First, you need to decide what you want the tattoo to look like and then, where you want it to be. Stella is going to help you with that. She specializes in couples tattoos; she's quite the artist and very gentle. You need a gentle touch when workin' with virgins", Ramone explains._

_Two sets of eyes snap up at him in shock._

"_Oh darlings, aren't you charming? **Virgin** refers to someone who's getting their first tattoo, though by the looks of you two, you probably qualify for the other kind also", adds a tall, skeleton-thin, pale woman who has just entered the room. She has long, purple-black, straight hair, parted in the middle. She is also covered in elaborate tattoos which her clothing does little to hide. _

"_Ah Stella, I was just telling these two about you. They need your extra special care."_

_Stella is wearing a blood-red leather halter top and a matching low-riser mini-skirt, which accentuates her ying-yang belly piercing stud. To complete her outfit she is wearing four-inch high heeled black boots. Sharpay is starting to feel anxious._

_Stella slinks over to Ramone and whispers in his ear as she drapes herself around him. "Of course...", he replies, "but later...work first...play later." And to Troy and Sharpay, adds, "I'll leave you to it. I need to man the front desk. If there's something going on wild enough to bring the two of you in, we might be up for a busy night."_

_With just the three of them in the room, Stella starts explaining the process in great detail, including the after-care instructions. Then, she moves on to what and where they want their work of art. After flipping through over twenty catalogs, Sharpay decides on a single red rose. Troy decided immediately; after all, it was his idea to come here in the first place. He chooses a set of simple wings, no color. _

"_Well, now that that's **finally** settled", Stella says, glaring at Sharpay, "Where do you want it?"_

"_Oh, I hadn't thought of that", replies Sharpay. Stella groans._

"_I think it would look good on your shoulder", offers Troy._

"_Really? I don't know..."_

"_Shoulder tattoos are the least painful", Stella lies. At this point, she'd say anything to speed this up. She has plans for Ramone._

"_Okay then, shoulder it is", Sharpay agrees quickly._

"_And you?", Stella indicates to Troy._

"_Right bicep", Troy replies decisively._

"_Wonderful, now who goes first."_

"_Me", Troy offers._

"_Wait...", says Sharpay._

"_Ug", moans Stella._

"_What about names?"_

"_What about them?"_

"_Well, I couldn't help but notice your name on Ramone's...", she could bring herself to say 'nipple', "chest. I think that's very romantic."_

"_Oh, I don't recommend that. If things don't work out, you're stuck with someone's name who you now hate, permanently on your body. They can be removed, of course, but it's very expensive and very, very painful."_

"_But it must be working for the two of you, right?", Troy puts in._

"_Well, he didn't actually get that tattoo for me, darling. If you look at it closely, you can tell."_

_Thinking back, Sharpay realizes that it did look odd. It was written: StElla._

"_See, his ex-wife is named Ella; took him ten years to find me, so he'd only have to add the 'St' to it."_

"_Well, I still think I'd like to put Troy's name on mine", Sharpay says with confidence and then quickly turns to Troy, "if it's alright with you, that is?"_

"_Wow, that's really rocks. Would you, um, mind if I did the same with mine?"_

"_I'd be honored", Sharpay replies as she steps closer to Troy and wraps her arms around his waist. She looks up at him with adoring eyes and as he looks down, they touch foreheads together and silently enjoy the moment._

"_Hello?...tattoos, remember?", Stella interrupts._

_They break apart nervously and Troy asks where he needs to sit._

_After thirty minutes, Troy has a throbbing arm and modified angel wings with a banner in between them. **'Sharpay'** is written in fancy script on the banner. Sharpay, who had held his hand the whole time coos, "Wow, it looks really good and you were so brave."_

_As Stella covers the tattoo with a bandage, she advises, "Now leave this on for about two hours and then remove it and wash the area with warm soapy water", and then, to Sharpay, "take off your blouse and lie face down on the chair."_

Sharpay grimaces at what happens next...

"_My blouse?", Sharpay asks as she glances nervously at Troy._

"_Oh come on, you're going to have his name permanently engraved on your shoulder and you're worried about taking your shirt off in front of him?"_

_The Drama Queen replies, "Of course not", as she rips her blouse over her head to reveal her lacy white bra. She then swings a leg over the inclined chair to straddle the seat and settles her upper body down on the upholstered board which makes up the back of the seat. She turns her head to the left, away from Stella who is arranging her tools on Sharpay's right. Troy kneels on the floor in front of her and grabs onto both of her hands. He senses that she's really going to need this._

_Twelve minutes later, Sharpay thinks to herself, through gritted teeth, "She lied to me! I just know it! This hurts like hell; it didn't seem to bother Troy this much."_

_Troy is worried about her. Sharpay has already threatened to leave more than once and the way she keeps moving around, Stella is going to slip and she'll end up with a lightening bolt or something other than a rose. Therefore, Troy makes a monumental decision and bends down to start nuzzling her shoulder with his lips. She seemed to really like that in the car. _

_Sensing what he's doing and why, Stella gives him an appreciative look and continues as quickly as she can with the tattoo._

_Sharpay immediately stops moving and forgets all about the pain of the tattooing as other, more pleasant sensations start flooding her soul. She unclenches her teeth and releases an enjoyable moan._

_Troy starts at the tip of her slender, left shoulder and slowly, ever so slowly, works his way up her neck while gently growling and humming as he continues to lave her with light, delicate kisses. As he reaches her ear, he halts his slow trek and concentrates on the area directly behind her left ear. He alternates between kissing the sweet spot behind her ear and nipping and sucking on her earlobe._

_Sharpay has never felt anything like this before. It's like all of her senses are heightened and she feels herself plummeting toward sensory overload. When he vibrates his lips across her skin, it sends a shudder of desire through her. She groans in pleasure and lets go of Troy's right hand with her left so she can reach up and grab hold of his head to bring his lips to hers. Then she gently runs her tongue along Troy's bottom lip, seeking permission to enter his mouth. He eagerly complies as they begin to explore each others mouths with abandon and time has lost its meaning._

"_Troy,... Sharpay...", they hear a voice from far away. Then louder, "Troy! Sharpay!", along with a not so gentle shaking of their shoulders, "I'm finished. Why don't you two go find yourselves a room?", urges Stella as she hands Sharpay back her shirt._

_They reluctantly pull away from each other, both their eyes glazed over with lust. The tattoo is already completed and covered in a bandage. She numbly pulls her shirt on, never taking her eyes off of Troy. This is it --- the moment of decision. The rational part of her brain is trying to tell her to stop, that everything is happening too quickly. The sensual part of her brain is trying to tell her that all her dreams are about to come true. The guy that she's been crushing on for two years is standing right in front of her and staring at her with the same desire in his eyes that is mirrored in her own. The sensual part of her brain picks up the rational part of her brain and dumps it into that mosh pit._

_HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM_

_Ten minutes later, Mr. John Doe carries Mrs. John Doe across the threshold and into honeymoon suite of the OK Seven Motor Lodge._

TBC

Hope that's enough for you. I could have gone further, in fact, I had an idea about a shower scene where they clean each other's tattoos, but I think I would blow a gigantic hole straight through my 'T' rating. You'll just have to use your own naughty imaginations.

A/N 1: **_Bohemian Rhapsody _**is, of course, that hilariously funny song that they sang in the car in the movie, Wayne's World. It's a hoot. Go rent it.

A/N 2: I actually used to live in Albuquerque about three years ago and I want to try to put real details about the area into my stories. Like the climate, for instance. It's a desert people! It's never humid, except perhaps when you are parked down next to the Rio Grande. You don't sweat there very much. It's the hight desert, so it can be 50 degrees in the morning and 90 by noon, but it's a dry heat.

Also, the movie, HSM, was actually filmed in Utah. The houses in the movie were not typical of Albuquerque.

A/N 3: Please keep in mind that the drug doesn't make them do anything they wouldn't do otherwise. It just releases those pesky inhibitions that control their lives.

A/N 4: About the tattoos... all I have to say is ewww. I looked up some details about tattooing and watched some youtube vids of people getting them, but when I read about how they use a needle to pump the paint into your skin... well, we're back to ewww. That said... from what I read, I don't think tattooing is as painful as I made it out to be or no one would get them. It's just I had the whole making out in the tattoo parlor (which is conveniently right next to the Oh, Seven Motor Lodge) in mind when I started this chapter. Also, I had to somehow link it back to the greasy hotel clerk who, you'll remember, said that Troy and Sharpay couldn't keep their hands off each other.

A/N 5: About the romanticy stuff... It's not a coincidence that Sharpay started both major kissy scenes. I wanted her to be the one taking charge. Troy didn't really seem to mind, did he?

Here's a warning for the next chapter... things are going to start to fall apart very quickly --- poor Troy and Sharpay.

And of course, this whole writing thing is just a silent cry for help and a need to be noticed, so please notice me and review. Thanks.


	6. Ch 5: And It Will Take 4ever 2 Fade Away

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Chapter 5: And It Will Take Forever to Fade Away

_Troy is sleeping on his back in the bed he shares with Sharpay. It is unseasonably warm and he is sleeping in only his gym shorts. Sharpay is leaning over him, straddling his body with a knee on either side of his hips. Her long blond hair is brushing against his chest as she slowly leaves a trail of warm, wet kisses upwards towards his face. He is quickly becoming aroused at the sensations she is evoking and his own thoughts of what they will be doing soon. _

Suddenly, the door is thrown open and Troy's mom breezes into Troy's bedroom.

"What is **that dog** doing in the bed? Buddy! Down boy! Come on, Buddy, back downstairs for you", Lisa Bolton yells at the family's black Labrador Retriever, Buddy, as she pulls him off of Troy's bed and out of the room. At the same time, Troy's eyes fly open and he quickly flips over onto this stomach with a loud groan. _Ow! That was a stupid thing to do. _ But he can't let his mother see that he is getting a hard-on from being licked by the dog. _I can't believe this, I never seem to get my dreams right. _He pulls his pillow over his head and clamps his arms down on both sides of it to hold the pillow down. That turns out to be his first big mistake today, but surely not his last.

Lisa looks back over her shoulder as she tugs Buddy from the room, "Troy, it's time to get up now. It's already after twelve. You know your dad wants you to help him clean out the garage today. No need to waste a Monday off, right?"

Unfortunately when she looks back to talk to Troy, she is afforded a clear and unobstructed view of the bicep of his right arm. _Oh my, we'll definitely need to talk about that...soon._

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Without even bothering to shower, Troy throws on a t-shirt, lumbers slowly into the kitchen and heads straight for the coffee.

"Glad to see you decided to join me. Your dad's already working; but if you're lucky, I should be able to shield you from him long enough to get breakfast...and a shower", Troy's mom adds pointedly.

"Sure mom, and thanks...for the protection", he says as he joins her with his coffee at the kitchen table.

She is currently working on her second cup and planning her strategy for this 'talk' with Troy. Lisa has always shared a special relationship with her son. Even though he and his father are able to bond over basketball and all things manly, the two of them have always been able to talk about anything. Well this morning, she is planning on testing that dictum.

Troy has always had a special relationship with his mother. They've always been able to talk about anything. Well, _almost anything_...Troy unconsciously let's thoughts of last night seep into his conscious mind.

"So...good party?", Lisa says, leading the witness.

"Oh yeah...great", Troy sighs, still thinking of Sharpay, and then realizing how that sounds quickly amends, "I...I mean good...yeah good, that is,... good. It was a good party, Mom."

"Uh, uh. What time did you come in? We were already in bed; it must have been late", Lisa states.

"Oh sorry. I don't know what time it was. Well the party was so, you know, _good_ that I lost track of the time."

"I see...so, who was there? Gabi?"

"No, she got really sick right at the end of the play."

"Oh, that's a shame. I hope she's okay."

"I think it was just nerves, you know?"

"Ah", she comments in understanding, "anyway...Chad..."

"Chad, what about Chad?", Troy interrupts with a slight squeak in his voice.

"Oh, he and Zeke dropped off your car about an hour ago."

"My car?", _My God, I forgot all about my car. I must have really been out of it when Chad suggested that he drive._

"Yes, anyway, he explained how Zeke blocked you in with his car and then locked his keys in his car, so Troy drove you home himself. That _is_ what happened? Isn't it, Troy?"

_Oh no, she knows something...but what? _

She continues, "So Chad and Zeke were there, _at the party_, I mean..."

Of course Chad was there, it was his house and Zeke helped him with the snacks."

"Oh yes, Zeke, very kindly, gave me some fresh baked cookies this morning."

"WHAT?!", Troy shouts as he spews his coffee across the table and starts choking.

Lisa instinctively reaches across the table and dries up the coffee with a napkin. _Well, that was unexpected, I wonder what Zeke has to do with any of this. The plot thickens. _ Aloud she asks, "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah, sorry, but about those cookies", he chokes out as he recovers, "you didn't eat any, did you?"

"No. Not yet. Why?"

"Oh, it's just the ones he made last night weren't very good. If I were you, I'd just throw them away. In fact, where are they? I'll throw them away myself", Troy offers.

"Calm down, Troy. They can't be that bad. Now, back to the party...who else was there? Gabi's friend, what's her name? Tracy? Was she there? Are she and Chad still dating?"

"Her name's Taylor and yeah, she was there, but no, they're not still dating, at least, not this week... you know how Chad is."

"Oh, yes", she agrees. "Let's see, who else do I know?", Lisa says as she pretends to think of names of Troy's friends whom she knows. "How about ... Sharpay?", she asks very slowly as she arches an eyebrow and stares straight at Troy.

_Oh crap, she doesn't know Sharpay. I've never even mentioned her in passing. I must've been talking in my sleep..._

Aloud he squeaks in an embarrassingly high voice, "Sharpay? You know Sharpay?"

"Let's just say I've read her name somewhere."

"Oh?", Troy responds, totally perplexed and not understanding what she's talking about, but knowing instinctively that it's not good.

"Is there something you want to talk with me about, Troy?", Lisa offers him an opening. She, very clearly, saw that name, SHARPAY, tattooed on his arm. Jack would just yell at him until he was red-faced and demand a confession. Lisa is more subtle; blame it on her child psychology minor in college. She'd much prefer drawing him out slowly and convincing him to confide in her on his own.

"Uh? Not really. You know, I'm not really all that hungry right now. I think I'll just go hit the shower and get on out to the garage before Dad blows a gasket." With that, he literally runs from the room.

Lisa sighs as she picks up her cup of her now, tepid coffee. Apparently, subtle isn't going to work today.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Shar...Shar", a whispered voice invades Sharpay's dreams.

"Troy?", she moans, huskily.

"No, Sharpay. It's me Ryan. We need to talk."

The afternoon sun is streaming through the slats in Sharpay's white plantation shutters and Ryan is sitting on his sister's bed trying to gently awaken her. He is pale, paler than his normal pale. His eyes are blood-shot and there are dark circles under his eyes. Where Sharpay enjoyed a restful sleep remembering her evening with Troy, Ryan suffered through a troubled sleep remembering his part in Troy and Sharpay's night. His was the sleep of a guilty conscience and now his fatigue is clearly showing. He feels horrible about what he said to her earlier this morning and he want to put things right. But how? He wants her to be happy, but he's no idiot. He can't just come out and say, "Sorry Sharpay, but I just twisted the truth around, so you'd want to dump the jock." No, he'd have to be creative, again.

"Ryan, what's going on? What time is it?", Sharpay asks sleepily as she struggles to sit up.

"It's almost one o'clock and I've been thinking about something..."

Sitting up completely, she gives her twin her full attention. "What's wrong?"

"Not _what_, _who_?"

"Uh?"

"Well, I've been thinking,... a lot. And I think, maybe, Troy didn't know what was going on with the cookies and all."

"Oh", Sharpay says quietly. Her lovely dream had almost managed to let her forget how her evening with Troy had ended. Now, it comes crashing back.

"Just listen to me for a minute... See, we know Chad was behind it all from the start; he admitted that much and I...well, I just assumed that since him and Troy are such close friends, you know, and teammates and all, that he must have been in on it too. Right? Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"This isn't really making me feel any better, Ryan."

"I know...I know, but just wait. Who ate the cookies?"

"We did --- Troy and I did", she clarifies.

"Exactly!", Ryan says triumphantly as he raises his index finger straight up in the air. Sharpay looks confused. "Don't you see, if Troy was really in on it, he wouldn't have touched _any_ of those cookies. I mean, why take the chance that he get messed up with that drug too?"

"So, you mean you believe him now, about what he said about being a victim?", she asks very slowly. She, so much, wants to believe this herself and if Ryan truly believes it, too...

"Yeah, I think I do. I, at least, think he deserves to state his case. Don't you?"

Sharpay squeals with excitement, "Oh, yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Ryan. Thank you so very much. You don't know what this means to me."

Ryan breathes a sigh of relief. If she ever finds out what he did, she'll kill him. But for now, he's just relieved that she's back to her old spunky self.

"Why don't you go over there this afternoon and just, you know, talk to him", Ryan suggests.

Just then, Judith Evans breezes into the room, once again dressed in workout attire.

"Good morning, angel", Judith croons to Ryan and then to Sharpay, she says more harshly, "Sharpay, it's roadwork time, remember?", and then to Ryan, she adds, "Ryan, it wouldn't hurt you to accompany us, you know."

"Uh, actually Mom, I was wondering if you could help me instead?", Ryan asks. _Boy, Sharpay is going to owe me for this._

"Oh, with what, Ryan?", Judith drawls.

"Well, Mom, you see,...this is a little embarrassing, but I'm having trouble with my tap routine when I do my brush back and hop that ends with a stomp. You know that step, don't you?"

"Well of course, angel, but I thought you had conquered that weeks ago."

"Everything except the stomp in the third section. I just can't get it. Would you help me, mom?"

"Of course, angel, you both know, everything I do, I do for you two, don't you?", Judith secretly lived for this.

_Ah, I got her. I knew this would work. Now the trick was to flub up the stomp just enough to get her help without making her so angry, she'd yell at him all day._ Judith was a very accomplished dancer in high school. In fact, she had a dance scholarship in college before she met Sharpay and Ryan's dad. She didn't have the patience to teach public classes, but she certainly had the knowledge.

"That is, of course, if Sharpay doesn't mind a solo workout today. Is that okay, Sharpay?"

_Don't screw this up, Sharpay_, she thinks to herself, _don't appear too anxious._

"Well, you are the pace setter...", she starts dejectedly, "but I guess Ryan needs you more than I do."

"That's very understanding of you, Sharpay. But don't forget, you're going to do 10 miles today, right?"

"Of course, Mom", Sharpay says as she drags herself out of bed, trying her best not to appear overly excited, and heads towards her private bathroom as Judith and Ryan head toward their in-home studio.

Sharpay is planning on running over to Troy's house and talking to him as Ryan suggested. _Boy, I'm really going to owe Ryan for this. _ She's anxious to get started, so she just splashes cold water on her face as she peers into the mirror. _I hope Troy's not angry that I didn't believe him._ _I was just so confused._ Sharpay quickly dries off her face and walks back out into the bedroom. She peels off her shirt and looks for her jog bra in her drawer. As she pulls it on over her head, it scrapes across her right shoulder blade and a piercingly sharp pain shoots through her. What the hell? She runs into her walk-in closet to look at the back of her shoulder in her large tri-fold mirror. **The tattoo! **Oh, crap! She completely forgot about the tattoo, but there it is in all it's glory --- a tasteful red rose with a green stem situated on her right shoulder blade. And there, bisecting the flower, is Troy's name, written in fancy script. Just looking at it, brought a smile to her face, but she knows she can't let anyone see it. --- except for Troy, of course.

Sharpay quickly finishes dressing and heads downstairs to start her run. This day is definitely improving.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy peeks out of the hallway bathroom with one towel covering his bottom half and another held tightly around his shoulders. He creeps quickly down the hall and sneaks into his room and shuts the door.

**The tattoo!** How could he forget about the tattoo, again? Then he suddenly remembers what his Mom just said in the kitchen --- _read her name somewhere _--- that's what she said --- her and her reverse psychology. She was waiting for him to confess. Well, not likely! At least not yet, anyway. Oh, he knew she'd eventually wear him down, but he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

He hurriedly dresses and heads back towards the kitchen. He releases the breath he's been holding when he sees that the kitchen is deserted. _Wonder if I can avoid my mom for the rest of my life?_

Grabbing an apple on the way out the door, Troy starts to head toward the garage, but something catches his eye. There on the counter is a paper plate full of cookies. He quickly grabs the plate and slams it into the trashcan. Now he is ready to face the day.

The Boltons live in a nice, but modest sized three bedroom stucco ranch, typical of Albuquerque. The most prominent feature of the house is the large, full-sized basketball court in the backyard and the large detached garage. It is a two-car garage, except there is no room inside it for any cars at all. It is jam-packed with yard tools, sports equipment, old toys and anything that Coach Bolton decides to dump there. See, Coach Bolton is a pack-rat. He can't throw away anything. Oddly, there is also a huge amount of Chad's things in there. Chad's mom keeps a 'museum' house and won't let him clutter it up, so he stores an obscene amount of his junk in the Bolton's garage. Well, maybe today things are going to change.

Coach Bolton is busily moving items out of the garage and placing them in the driveway to be sorted. Mrs. Bolton is doing the sorting. They are currently discussing the merits of keeping Coach Bolton's ten year old collection of mail order catalogs. Mrs. Bolton is winning. Then, Troy realizes he is hearing a third voice, a female voice. _Sharpay? Could she be here?_ A smile comes to his face as he quickly jogs out towards the garage.

As he approaches, he hears, "My mom still has every textbook from every class she's ever taken. When we moved here a few months ago, I thought she'd get rid of some of them; but she didn't. She just bought a bigger house, so it doesn't show as much."

_Oh, it's just Gabriella._ Troy slows his pace to a walk and tries not to let the disappointment show on his face.

"Well, I'm here", Troy announces in a falsely jovially mood. Since his dad is there, he's not worried about being near mom. Besides, he's sure that she's still analyzing the situation and planning her next attack.

"Bout time you showed up, son. We thought you were going to sleep the day away. Gabriella, here, has been helping me for the last two hours", Coach Bolton explains.

"Well, actually, I'm the one who held him up, isn't that right Troy? We were discussing last night's party", Lisa adds.

_Oh, she is up to something. Maybe it's some sort of good cop/bad cop thing. I've got to really stay on my toes._

"Uh yeah, it was a gr...um...good party."

"Sorry I missed it", Gabriella says.

He can't bring himself to lie and tell her he's sorry she missed the party too, so instead Troy says simply, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, it was just nerves. When I woke up this morning, I felt great."

"Well hey, we're not going to get anything done standing around here talking all day. Mom and I are just about to take a load to the dump", Coach Bolton says with emotion heavy in his voice.

"Be strong, honey", Lisa reassures him.

"Anyway, we'll go through a drive-through on the way back and pick up some lunch. While we're gone, you two keep working. Gabriella knows what to do, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, we'll be back in about an hour and a half. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, okay?", Coach Bolton adds, jokingly, as they get in his heavily loaded pick-up truck.

"I don't think we need to worry about _them_", adds Mrs. Bolton, knowingly, as she climbs in the truck and they pull away.

"So, the party was good?", Gabriella asks shyly as she looks at the ground and shuffles her feet nervously.

"Um yeah, it was fine", Troys responds, not really wanting to continue this conversation. "Hey, aren't we supposed to be working?", he asks, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, of course, sorry. I just thought you might want to talk. It's kind of weird that the play is over and all, I probably won't be seeing you as much, you know. So,...so I thought, maybe, we could, you know, go out or something, you know", she finishes awkwardly.

_Wow, I should have seen this coming_. And maybe two days ago, he would have felt different, before he realized that Sharpay liked him too. And well, after last night, everything's changes. Troy knows he can convince Sharpay of the truth when he talks to her tomorrow and he doesn't want to hurt Gabriella's feelings, but he's just not interested.

"Oh, well, um, maybe we could go to the movies with the gang", he suggests, "You know, with Chad and Taylor,... maybe even Ryan and Sharpay", he says as an after thought. "It will be fun."

"Oh,... sure,... that sounds ... like fun", Gabriella says slowly, clearly disappointed.

"Now I think we should get to work before the boss and Dad get back."

"Yeah, you're right. We're supposed to start bringing things down from the attic and organizing them out on the lawn."

"People are going to think we're having a garage sale."

"I think that's what your mom is hoping for."

Troy walks over to the pull-down attic stairs, pulls the chain down and unfolds the staircase.

"Now be careful on these stairs; they're old and rickety", Troy warns.

After fifteen minutes of working, Troy's arm is starting to burn which immediately makes him start thinking about Sharpay. Maybe he can sneak over to her house later today... He's brought out of his woolgathering by a shout from Gabriella.

"Troy, can you give me a hand with this one? It's a whale", she calls from the top of the attic stairs. She is wrestling with a huge plastic Rubbermaid container which will barely fit through the opening.

Troy jogs over to help. "Hold on, Gabriella. Let me come up and help."

"That's okay, it's not heavy; it's just awkward. You stay down there and I'll lower it down to you."

"Are you sure it's safe? You aren't going to hurt yourself, are you?"

"No,...no, I think I've got it", she says as she starts to lower the gigantic box through the opening and lets it slide down the stairs. It's so large, she has to use both of her hands to hold it.

Troy reaches up to receive the box when he trips on Chad's old rollerblades he left there last week. What happens next looks like a strangely choreographed performance art ballet. The monstrous box crashes into Troy as he tries to catch it and he deflects it backwards and over his head. His basketball reflexes definitely come into play there. As the box soars over his head, it opens up and its contents scatter onto the floor. Followed quickly by the box, Gabriella comes tumbling head first out of the attic and crashes smack into Troy. He breaks her fall with as much grace as he can muster and they both go plummeting to the floor. Bracing himself for the hard impact, Troy is surprised to find himself, instead, landing on something very soft and comfortable. Gabriella lands on top of him and momentarily knocks the wind of him. Looking around Troy what realizes what he's lying on --- blankets and quilts. _This must be where Mom stores all of the extra coverings and see calls Dad a pack-rat. _ Then, he realizes that Gabriella is quietly crying into his shoulder.

_Oh no, is she hurt?_ "Oh God", Troy calls softly, "are you hurt?" And then louder, "Please don't cry, Gabriella", he implores as he gently rubs circles on her back in an effort to offer her comfort. He's just not any good at this stuff. "It was all Chad's fault; him and his stupid messes", he says as he glances at the offending skate. "Hey, it was just an accident, but nothing serious happened, okay. I'm okay... you're okay... that's all that matters. We'll be more careful next time and it won't happen again. Just please, stop crying, okay?" He realizes he's rambling, but he really doesn't know how to handle crying females.

Looking up with an amused look in her eyes, Gabriella says through her giggles, "I'm not crying, silly. That's the funniest thing that's ever happened to me." She continues to giggle and she starts to sit up.

Troy is so relieved that she's not hurt that he can't help himself, he starts to chuckle too. The chuckle quickly turns into a full-sized guffaw and Gabriella falls down beside him, equally caught up in the infectious laughter. Unknown to Troy, this is his second big mistake of the day.

Neither of them notices the small blond rushing quickly back down the driveway and away from the house.

TBC

My goodness, ya'll probably think I hate Sharpay, but I really don't. I swear.

A/N 1: Here's where you meet Lisa Bolton. I know she was in the movie, but the writers didn't even bother to give the woman a first name. She's going to be a major part of this story and she's based on a mom in our neighborhood. Where the other mom's would just say 'get up and get on with your life', she'd try to sit and understand what was really going on inside your head --- her own kids or the neighbor's.

A/N 2: About tap dancing... Don't know a thing about it. I found the terms: brush back, hop and stomp on a tap website. Hope I didn't misuse them too much.

A/N 3: Research girl here... I was, at first concerned that she wouldn't be able to read the name on the tattoo since it's on her back. But I checked it and with a tri-fold, if you stand facing the left mirror and look towards the right mirror, it flips the words back right. Must be some physics thing.

A/N 4: I had to struggle with this one a little --- you know the whole miscommunication, mis-interpreted scene. It would have been soooo easy to vilify Gabriella here and have her start kissing Troy or some such silliness and have Sharpay see that, but I wanted to keep her in character, at least for now. Speaking of being in character, canon Sharpay would probably not have run away after that scene. She would probably have stormed in there and busted his balls. But then that might have led to talking and then they could have sorted everything out and then where would my poor little angsty story be then?


	7. Ch 6: I Almost Kinda Like the Pain

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Sorry about the delay, but there's something wrong with and I had a heck of a time posting this, so I finally had to cheat and sneak it in the back door, so to speak.

A/N: Okay, gentle readers. Here's 'the night' part 2. I mark where the "M" rated stuff starts, so you can skip it if you want. (like that's actually going to happen). Please, please let me know what you think, I'm really going out on a limb here.

Chapter 6: I Almost Kinda Like the Pain

Her run back towards home is a blur as Sharpay relives the scene she just witnessed.

_After a light run of three miles over to Troy's house, Sharpay slows to a walk so she can catch her breath before talking to Troy. As she walks towards the front door, Sharpay hears a loud crash coming from behind the house. She quickly changes direction and heads around the house toward the garage. As she approaches the garage, she hears Troy's voice:_

"_**Please don't cry, Gabriella"**  
Sharpay stops dead in her tracks._

"_**It was all Chad's fault; him and his stupid messes"**  
He's talking about last night...he's telling Gabriella Montez about last night. She starts to slowly walk closer to the garage, all of the debris from the garage easily giving her cover._

"_**Hey, it was just an accident, but nothing serious happened, okay. I'm okay...you're okay...that's all that matters."**  
Oh God, she can't believe what she's hearing. As she gets to the entrance, she sees them lying on a blanket in the middle of the garage. Gabriella is lying on top of Troy and he...he is rubbing slow circles on her back...just like it did when...Tears start to stream down her face._

"_**We'll be more careful next time and it won't happen again. Just please, stop crying, okay?"**  
Sharpay puts her hand up to her mouth to stifle a cry. As she turns around and starts to run away, the sound of their laughter sears a hole in her heart._

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As she runs along, Sharpay continues to angrily wipe away her tears. _I hate being weak. Ryan was right about Troy, after all. _It was a big set-up, a practical joke and from what she heard Troy tell Gabriella, he definitely knew all about it. And Gabriella, she can't believe what she heard, Troy was actually telling Gabriella and they...they were laughing about it...laughing at her. _God, how can he do this to me? I love him so much. I have for years now. __He's my first love, my first kiss, my first... Oh God, how can I be so naïve to think that Mr. Super Cool popular guy actually loves me. He is just using me._ It is just like her mom always warns her about.

Judith is almost psychopathic about keeping Sharpay away from boys. That's why she has always been with Ryan her whole life --- plays, recitals, talent shows, everything. Once her jazz instructor insisted that Sharpay dance in the end-of-year show with her friend, Jake. Her mom became so upset that she moved Ryan and Sharpay to another dance school. And she never saw Jake again. Later, Judith explained to Sharpay that men (and boys) weren't to be trusted, that Ryan was the only male she could ever trust. _Looks like Mom is right._

She is wiping away her final tears when she arrives back home. _I will __**not**__ be seen as weak._ Sharpay slowly walks up to the door, dreading her inevitable confrontation with her mother. There is no way she will not notice her daughter's puffy face and red eyes. Heck, she notices and points out every microscopic pore on Sharpay's face. Imagine Sharpay's surprise when her mother looks at her sympathetically as she comes through the door.

"Oh, Sharpay, you poor baby. Look at your face. Well, I know exactly how you're feeling", coos Judith as she gently guides Sharpay into the kitchen and sits her on a stool at the granite island.

_Who is this woman and where is my mother? _

Judith continues her imitation of a Stepford wife, "Here honey, take one of my allergy pills."

As Sharpay numbly swallows the pill, she looks closely at her mother for the first time. They could be matching bookends. Judith's face is puffy and her eyes are blood-shot too. Just then, Sharpay realizes that she's still talking.

"...freakishly warm winter is reeking havoc with my allergies. My tulip bulbs are already sprouting and the trees are starting to bloom. I should have never let Ryan open the windows in the studio. The tree pollen is at a record high today. I had hoped you would be spared from this; but you do have my genes, so it was inevitable."

Who would have ever thought that a severe allergy attack would have the same effects on the human body as having your heart ripped out and stomped on?

Just then, Ryan enters the kitchen and goes straight to the refrigerator to get a water bottle. When he looks at Sharpay, he realizes immediately that things did not go well. "What's wrong?", he mouths silently to her. She just stares at him blankly and lowers her head.

"I'm going to take a shower now and then lie down", Judith says. "I need to make an appointment with my allergist. This new medicine he gave doesn't work _and_ it knocks me out. I didn't even hear the two of you come in last night. Well, you both rest and relax for the remainder of the day and try to keep the noise down."

With that, Judith sweeps sophisticatedly from the room. She is only person Ryan has ever seen who can _sweep_ from a room while still sweaty from a workout. Ryan turns to Sharpay who is now deeply contemplating the counter top. He sits down on the stool next to her and gently takes his sister's hand. "Talk to me Sharpay, please?", he implores.

Sucking in her breath with determination, Sharpay slowly turns toward Ryan and says, "There's nothing to talk about, Ryan." Sharpay hops down from the stool and moves to leave the room.

"Shar, wait! You can't just walk away with no explanation."

"Of course I can, Ryan; I'm the Ice Queen, remember?" With that, she calmly walks out of the room leaving Ryan with a perplexed look on his face.

"What just happened?", Ryan asks no one.

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Ryan sits at the kitchen island drinking his juice. It's only six o'clock in the morning. He didn't sleep well after yesterday's confrontation with Sharpay. He got up early so he could try to think of something to say to her, since she refused to talk to him last night.

Hearing a noise, Ryan looks up only to be disappointed that when he sees Judith. She waltzes into the room and heads immediately over to the carafe of coffee waiting for her on the counter. _Why can't she just enter a room like a normal person?_ She's always sweeping, waltzing, flowing, breezing. For once he'd like to see her just _walk_.

"Good morning, angel. Where's Sharpay?", she asked pointedly.

"What do you mean? She's still sleeping, isn't she?", a slight worry showing in his voice. Sharpay is never up early.

"No, I checked her room before I came down. She wasn't there and her bed's made. What happened after I went to bed? She didn't sneak out of the house, did she?"

_Oh God, you don't think she went back over to Troy's house last night?_ Aloud, he says, "What? Of course not, she wouldn't do something like that."

Before she can reply, the kitchen door opens and Sharpay enters and heads straight for the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. She is still breathing heavily with sweat glistening on her skin. Her hair pulled back in a ponytail and she is wearing lyrca capris and a t-shirt (she can't wear wife-beaters anymore). It's obvious she's been working out.

"Sharpay, where have you been, young lady?", demands Judith.

Finishing her swallow of water, she replies, "Good morning Mother, Ryan. I just decided to go for a run this morning."

"You? Up early to exercise, Sharpay? You expect me to believe _that_?"

"Yes Mother, I do, because it's the truth. I've decided that I've not been focused enough lately and if The Plan is to be a success, I need to be focused. Therefore, I plan on getting up at five every morning to go for a run. I also think it will clear my mind for the day ahead."

"Well... I think that's a wonderful idea, darling. And I'm glad to see you showing some personal responsibility."

"Yes well, with that in mind, I'd like to change my schedule."

"What do you mean by that, Sharpay? I've told you for years, you have plenty of free time, if you would just schedule your time wisely."

Sharpay's schedule would tax even the most dedicated person. In addition with her normal school schedule with homework and studying she takes ballet on Monday, rhythmic gymnastics on Tuesday, voice lessons on Wednesday (diction and singing), tap/jazz class on Thursday, and Piano lessons on Friday. The only light days were Saturday and Sunday and Judith usually had her do her serious roadwork and weights on the weekend. While Ryan shared a similar class schedule, Judith didn't ride him as hard about physical exercise. She doted on him and always thought he was too thin.

"I know, Mother, and I agree with you completely. I'd like to pick up a new class. I called Madam Dupree in Sante Fe last night. She has an opening on Saturday afternoons. If I get up early, I should have time for my weight class and then drive up to Sante Fe for Madam's class from three to five. Then I can be back here by seven at the latest."

"_Weight class_, what weight class? And who's Madam Dupree?", asks Ryan. _And who's this girl wearing my sister's skin._

"Oh, I also called Gold's Gym yesterday and set up a personal workout session for early Saturday mornings. I need to work on my definition. And how could you **not** know who Madam Dupree is, Ryan? She's just the most famous drama coach in the Southwest. Mother had her, didn't you, Mother?", finishes Sharpay as she looks towards her mom, who nods numbly.

"You did all this yesterday, Sharpay?", Judith asks incredulously.

"Yes ma'am. I realized I've been wasting too of my time and that if I don't change my practices that I will regret it in the future."

A huge, genuine smile appears on Judith's face. "Oh Sharpay, I'm so proud of you!", she gushes. "After gymnastics tonight, why don't we go to mall? A little girl time...a little shopping; it'll be fun."

"I'm sorry Mother, I've also signed up for an on-line French class and Monday nights is the only time I have available to study. I think it will help in my lessons with Madam Dupree. Well, I need to go get ready for school. Ryan, I want to go in early today. I have an idea for the Spring Musicale that I want to try out. The acoustics in the auditorium are so different from our studio that I want to practice there. Toodles, all", Sharpay says as she flounces from room.

_Oh God, did she just __**flounce**_ "Wow. That was really weird", Ryan comments, "and what's with the 'Mother' thing? She's never called you that before."

"Well Ryan, I, for one, commend her for this new found dedication. You should follow her lead. And as for the 'Mother' comment, young man, it's about time I starting receiving the respect due me."

"Yes ma'am."

A/N: The following section is rated M. If you find this offense or you are not old enough to read it, skip down until you see the next set of "M"s. It doesn't effect the storyline.  
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Troy lowers her lovingly to the bed and starts to hungrily devour her with his mouth. Sharpay is kissing him back with equal fervor. He pulls away from her and sits up as she moans in protest at the loss of contact. He starts to take off his shirt and when she realizes what he's doing she decides to help by nervously unbuttoning his pants and pulling down the zipper. Troy jumps up and pulls off his shoes, jeans, and socks. While he is doing this, Sharpay slides out of her own blouse as she is lustfully watching him. _Boxer-briefs, I knew it. And wow, they look really, um...tight._ He reaches to unzip her mini-skirt and she lifts her hips to help him take it off. He lovingly removes her sandals as he pushes her skirt off. Then, he climbs back on top of Sharpay again, being careful not to crush her. They resume their kiss.

Deciding to take charge, Sharpay quickly flips them over so that she is on top without breaking the kiss. Troy takes this opportunity to reach behind her back and unhook her bra. She sits up to quickly remove it the rest of the way. She can see the appreciation in his eyes and he reverently cups her full breasts in his warm hands. She reaches forward to give him a quick peck on the lips and quickly sits back up straight. It is Troy's turn to moan in frustrated at the loss. However his frustration comes to an end quickly when she starts to pull down his underwear. He lifts his hips so quickly that he almost bucks her off in the process. When she is finished with her task, she sits back to take him in with her eyes. _My God, he's beautiful. _ Troy blushes under her gaze.

Taking a deep breath, she reaches down to the waistband of her panties and starts to pull them down. Troy places his hands on top of hers to halt her. "Let me, Shar", he implores huskily, speaking for the first time since they've entered the room. _Shar, he called me Shar. Only Ryan calls me that_, but she loves hearing it coming from Troy's mouth. She nods her assent and he pushes away the final barrier between them. Now it is Sharpay's turn to blush and she turns her head away. She has always been self-conscience about her body and his intense scrutiny was making her even more nervous.

"No, don't do that", he whispers as he gently touches her chin and turns her face back to him. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Don't you know how beautiful you are?"

"I am?", she says shyly.

"Oh yes, you're perfect."

She's knows it sounds clique, but she can't help asking, "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Oh no, absolutely not. And besides, there haven't been any other girls. I've never done this either, ya know."

"Really? And here I thought I was the oldest living virgin at East High."

"Nope, I'm older than you."

Then before anymore idle conversation can take place, Sharpay lowers herself to him and they continue kissing with even more passion than before. Grabbing onto her hips, Troy flips them back over, so he is once again on top. He raises up slightly and looks directly into her eyes.

"Are you sure about this?", he asks seriously.

As she looks deeply into his gorgeous blue eyes, a truly irrelevant thought pops into her head. _Why did God waste all the truly beautiful eyelashes on guys?_ Then she snaps back and says sincerely, "Oh, yes. I'm absolutely positive."

With her assent, he positions himself perfectly and enters her in one swift motion.

Sharpay has read all about the act of sexual intercourse --- from detailed clinical accounts to super trashy romance novels, so she thinks she was prepared. She is wrong. The pain of the tattoo was like a pinprick compared to this. Her body tenses immediately and she instinctively digs her fingernails deep into Troy's upper back. To keep from crying out she bites down on the closest thing available --- Troy's left shoulder.

He stops moving as soon as she tenses and does she sweetest thing she could ever imagine. Instead of being a selfish teenage boy enjoying his first night of sex, he starts to whispers words of comfort into her ear. He tells her how the pain will fade soon and then everything will be wonderful. Apparently, he has read a lot about intercourse too. He never complains about the fingernails digging into his backside or the teeth currently latched into his shoulder.

Troy must have been reading the right stuff because in about a minute and a half later, the pain starts to fade and Sharpay relaxes her grip on his shoulders. Oh, and she stops biting him too. He raises himself up on his elbows to look her in the eyes.

"Hey? Better now?", he asks gently.

"Yeah, how did you..."

"I read a lot ... well, about that kind of stuff, anyway. I'm a guy."

_I knew it._ And then aloud she says coyly, "I...noticed."

"Want me to show you something else I read?"

"Oh yes, absolutely."

He does something then...something wonderful, which causes an instinctive and immediate response from Sharpay.

"Oh my, what was that?"

"It's called a swirl --- something I read about."

"Hey, Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"You talk too much."

So, he stops talking and soon they are locked together in a rhythm as old as time. And as they come to their completion together, that is exactly how they feel --- complete and together. It is several minutes before they can breathe normally. Then realizing that he may be crushing her, Troy rolls them both onto their sides, staying connected in that most intimate way.

"Wow", he comments.

"Umm, yeah. Um, sorry about the...um...bitey thing", Sharpay says quietly.

"That's okay; it actually helped me out", Sharpay raises her head to look at him disbelievingly. He continues, "You know ... guys, we're supposed to think of other things so we, ... you know, ... last longer.", he says embarrassingly. "Baseball ... basketball ... excruciating bodily pain --- they all have the same effect."

"You're a real comedian there, Bolton, but don't give up your day job."

They both fall silent as Troy takes a deep breath and hugs her tightly as if he never wants to let go. He then starts rubbing slow gentle circles around on her back. "Please don't cry, Gabriella."

"No, no, no!", Sharpay screams out as the sound of her voice reverberates off the shower walls. _It ends like that every time, damn it. _She slowly sinks to the floor of the shower as her tears start to flow. Her most beautiful memory ... the one she can't help herself from reliving over and over and over again. She dreamed about it last night no less than three times and every time it ends at the same place. Just as they're about to fall asleep, he starts to rub those damn circles around on her back. Then, as hard as she tries she to stops it, she is ripped from their nice, warm bed and dumped right in the middle of Troy Bolton's driveway where she has to relive her most horrible memory --- her memory of seeing Troy rub those slow gentle circles around on Gabriella Montez's back.

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A/N: Okay, the kiddies can come back now. Did anyone actually leave? Goodness, I made _myself_ cry. I think I take this stuff way too seriously.

Vaguely, Sharpay hears her name being called as she slowly rises from the shower floor.

"Sharpay! Are you okay in there?", Ryan calls in a concerned voice from the other side of her bathroom door.

She takes a deep breath, calmly turns off the shower, and says in her best Ice Queen voice, "Everything's fine, Ryan. Why wouldn't it be?"

TBC

A/N 1: Wow, I did it. My first sex scene. I know...I know...it was cliqued and hokey. Oh come on, "rhythm as old as time", please. But oh well, I'm new at this.

A/N 2: About the drama coach in Sante Fe. Sante Fe is about 1.5 hours North of Albuquerque and its very artsy, so I'm thinking that's definitely where the best drama coach in the Southwest lives.

Please, please, please review. The reviews have fallen off lately and I'm getting paranoid.


	8. Ch 7: Why Must We Erase These Things

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

A/N: A little note about chapter 6. There seems to be some confusion about the naughty scene, so I read it again and I thought it was pretty clear. She's not dreaming; it's a memory. She's in the shower when she's remembering (and if you want to think about what she may be doing --- in the shower --- while she's having this memory, why it's a free country). Anyway, it mentions that she did dream that same scene during the previous night, but this is a memory, not a dream.

Chapter 7: Why Must We Erase These Things

"Time to get up. Troy", Lisa Bolton calls as she flicks on the light.

Troy groans and shoves his head under his pillow to shield his eyes from the bright light.

"Oh Mom, I can't move. What did Dad do to me yesterday? I've got muscle aches where I didn't know I had muscles", he moans.

"Think how I feel. I'm almost thirty years older than you. Who knew you're pack-rat dad would turn into this cleaning freakazoid?"

"Cleaning_ freakazoid_, mom?", Troy says as he lifts the pillow off his head.

"Hey, give me a break, I'm trying to stay hip."

"_Hip_? Wow, I think that's _groovy_, Mom."

"Oh, forget it; but seriously Troy", she says as she sits down on the the edge of his bed, "we never had a chance to talk yesterday."

"Yeah, about that, um, thanks for not telling Dad about the, um,..."

"Tattoo, Troy?"

"Yeah, that. But I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. There's some stuff I need to work out first."

"Alright, I'll give you some time, but we do need to talk."

"Agreed. Give me til after school today, okay?"

"You need to talk to this Sharpay girl, right?"

"Right."

"She must mean an awful lot to you."

"She does, more than anything, Mom."

"Does she know that you immortalized her on your arm?"

"Yeaaaah, um, it was actually her idea, for the names, that is."

"Names?"

"Well, yeah, I got her name and she got mine, you know."

"Oh my,... were you drunk, Troy?"

"No, ma'am. I swear we had nothing to drink but sodas and besides I thought you were going to give me a little time." _Please don't ask about drugs..._

"Okay, okay", she raises her hands in surrender, "Hey, I need to get going. Jean took her grandchildren to Carlsbad and I need to open up the building this morning." She rises from the bed and heads towards the door.

"How can you stand working with those snotty-nosed little preschoolers every day?"

"Well, from my point of view, it was only yesterday when you were one of those 'snotty-nosed little preschoolers', as you call them", she finishes with a sniff.

"Oh Mom, you aren't going to start crying, are you?"

"No, of course not, I would never do such a silly thing."

"Yeah right, like you didn't cry when I started preschool and_ you_ were my teacher. And you didn't cry when I started Kindergarten or at fifth grade graduation or middle school graduation, or how about..."

"Oh just stop. It's ... it's just my allergies. And...and now I've got to hurry or I'll be late, so get up and get moving", she finishes as she gets to the door to head out. _Oh Lord, my baby's all grown up and in love,_ she thinks as she wipes away an _allergy_ tear.

"Okay Mom, and we'll talk later, I promise." _I just have to sort this all out with Sharpay first._

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Sharpay and Ryan manage to arrive at school forty-five minutes early after a silent ride in the car. They walk through the deserted halls and head immediately to the auditorium to start work.

Sharpay sits at the piano and spreads out her notes for the song she's been working on.

"Now, here's what I have in mind...", she starts.

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Chad enters homeroom and walks up to Troy who is sitting anxiously in his seat.

"Did you get everything settled with 'you know who'?", Chad asks as his voice drops to a whisper.

"No", Troy responds with an exasperated sigh, "I can't find her. I waited by her locker all morning. She never gets here early. Then I started searching the girls' bathrooms, thinking I might have missed her."

"The girls' bathrooms?", Chad asks in horror.

"Yeah, but she wasn't there either. Lot of other girls were, though", he adds, rubbing his head and remembering how Suzy Crabgrass clobbered him with her book bag. "Oh there she is now, man, I gotta go."

Sharpay enters the room with less than thirty seconds before the late bell rings with Ryan right behind her. Focusing completely on her destination, she heads straight to her desk and sits down. Troy rushes up and drops to one knee to speak to her without being overheard.

In a whisper, he says, "Sharpay, when can we talk? I really need to explain..."

"There's nothing to explain, Bolton. I think everything was crystal clear yesterday", Sharpay hisses with ice in her voice.

Before he can respond, Mrs. Darbus enters just as the final bell rings and announces in a booming voice, "Mr. Bolton, I don't recall that your assigned seat was the floor next to Miss Evan's desk. Please return to your correct desk."

"We'll talk later, okay?", he asks in a pleading tone.

"Now! Mr. Bolton", adds Mrs. Darbus in an exacerbated voice.

Troy scurries back to his seat. Chad gives him a questioning look and Troy just shrugs.

"Now class, I have few announcements. Firstly, I would like a offer up a round of applause to the cast and crew of Tinkle Town, in particular, our composer, Kelsi Nielsen and our leads: Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez.. It was a resounding success."

The class starts enthusiastically clapping and cheering. The basketball players start pounding Troy on his back and he takes it good naturedly. Kelsi and Gabriella both blush and duck their heads. Troy happens to look in Sharpay's direction and he can feel the temperature of the room drop several degrees with her look.

"Now, now, class. A great drama department never rests on its laurels. Therefore, it is time to start planning our next grandiose endeavor --- the Spring Musicale. We are scheduled to begin rehearsals in only four short weeks and we have yet to pick a production. With that in mind, there will be a special meeting of the Drama Club immediately after school today. Next, the Junior/Senior Prom decorating committee will meet this Friday during free period. And finally, let's see,... oh yes, someone's 'hard' 'drive' 'crashed', whatever that means, but apparently some of the photos for the yearbook were lost and will need to be retaken. Please check the board in the hallway to see if this affects you."

With that, the bell rings and everyone begins streaming out of the room. Troy tries to work his way over to Sharpay, but Gabriella reaches him first.

"Hi, Troy. Boy, I didn't think I was going to make it out of bed this morning. Every muscle I have is screaming at me to start screaming at you. What did you do to me?", Gabriella asks jokingly, while holding her sore neck and rubbing it in a soothing motion.

Sharpay, who is on the opposite side of Gabriella, quickly gathers up her books and using all the Drama Queen power she possesses storms through the parting crowd and exits the room.

Troy is trying to stay focused on Sharpay, but when Gabriella appears in front of you, he loses sight of her.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry Gabriella, I ... I need to talk to someone", he gently pushes past her to follow Sharpay.

She's too far ahead of the him when he gets to the door and since their classes are in the opposite direction, he vows to find her during Free Period and talk to her then. This has gone on long enough.

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Sharpay is hiding in the last stall of the girl's bathroom. She is, once again, angrily wiping away her tears. _This is harder than I thought. _She couldn't help but over hear what Gabriella said to Troy about her sore muscles. _How tacky. How much of a slut can she be? Rubbing it in my nose like that? Okay Sharpay, everyone knows you're the drama queen, but quit with the melodramatics. I can do this._

Five minutes later she is strutting down the hall like her usual self.

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"Finally", Troy sighs, as he walks into a study room in the back of the library. He has been searching everywhere for Sharpay and Free Period is almost over. _What's she doing in the library?_

"Hey", he says gently as he approaches her cubicle, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Ever think, maybe, I didn't want to be found", she states flatly.

"We need to talk. I got the full story from Chad about the other night. He admits he did it; he's even agreed to talk to you, if it will help. You've got to believe me, Shar, I didn't know anything at all about those cookies."

"Don't call me that."

"What?", he asks confused. He has planned out exactly what he wants to say to her and she just threw him off his spiel with her abrupt command. "Call you what?"

"_Shar_, don't call me, _Shar_. Only Ryan's allowed to call me that. Don't ever use it again."

"I don't understand. Why aren't you giving me a chance to explain? There's no way I would have done something like that to you. It was an accident and you..."

"Accident? Yeah, I know all about your accidents Bolton. Well, maybe it wasn't an accident for me. Did you ever think about that?"

"Wha...?"

_The best defense is a good offense._

"I didn't eat nearly as many cookies as you. I knew what I was doing the whole night. Maybe I was the one who was using you. Hey, I got to bag the big super stud basketball jock... go me! I got to deflower the virginal Troy Bolton." Seeing the shocked look on his face, she steams straight ahead, "Oh you didn't really think that was my first time, did you? Remember, I'm an _actress_. You've heard the stories about me; you said so yourself. I was just trying to make you feel better about being the oldest living virgin at East High. And now that I've sampled the goods, I'm not interested in the merchandise."

"I...I...no, this is wrong, Sharpay. I don't understand why you're saying any of this", Troy says in a panicked voice.

"You know Bolton, this is _wrong_. All of this is wrong. You...me...together? You must be kidding me. But I think I have the perfect solution --- just stay the fuck away from me, okay? Then, we'll all be happy."

With that, she stands up, calmly packs away her things, and leaves the study room. _I'll never let anyone hurt me ever again._

Troy can only stare back in shock. After she leaves, he pulls himself together. _I don't understand why she's acting like this, but if that's how she wants to play it --- that's fine by me._

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The rest of the day seems to drag by. Troy barely touches his lunch as he avoids all whispered conversation with Chad about what happened with Sharpay. Luckily, she doesn't even come in the lunch room when he is there. Technically, he is now a member of the Drama Club, but he has no desire to go to the Spring Musicale planning meeting after school, so he goes straight home.

He comes in the door and heads to his room, forgoing his normal meal-sized after-school snack. He lies on his bed staring at the ceiling while trying to figure out what happened today. _She used me. She set me up! Could that be right? _ It was her idea to see who could eat the most cookies, he remembered. And it was her idea to get their names on the tattoos and she kissed him first in the car and in the tattoo shop... _Why didn't I see it before? No one who's never been kissed could kiss that good._ And in the hotel... Okay, she seemed to be pretty innocent the first time, but by the second or was it the third time... _Oh yeah, it was the third time, the one in the shower --- she was really in charge then._ _No one picks that stuff up that fast.__ Damn it, she __**was**__ using me._ He concludes as he sits straight up in bed.

Just then, there is a light tapping on the door as Lisa Bolton peeks her head into the room.

"Troy? Are you feeling okay? My kitchen doesn't look like Hurricane Troy has hit it yet."

"I wasn't very hungry and to be honest, I don't really know how I'm feeling."

"What happened? Things didn't go well today?"

"You could say that. I don't really know what... Argh... things are just so complicated and confusing."

"Want to talk?", Lisa offers gently.

"I don't know if I can. Everything I thought I understood just got turned upside down. Life is so complicated; why can't it be simple, like in the old days when you were young?"

"Oh, I'll have you know it wasn't always easy back then. You try getting in and out of a covered wagon while wearing one of those awful hoop skirts", Lisa offers, trying to lighten the tense mood.

Troy can't help but crack a small smile. "I love you Mom and thanks for trying, but I'm just not in a mood to talk right now."

"Okay, I respect that. Why don't I fix your favorite, a peanut butter and honey sandwich on toast?"

"Sure Mom, that'd be great", Troy responds quietly.

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"Attention thespians; let's get started", calls Mrs. Darbus as she checks her notes. She is sitting casually on the edge of the stage with her legs hanging over the side and is referencing a clipboard.

"Of course, our next production will be the Spring Musicale", she continues, dramatically, "and in keeping with the theme of Spring, I'd like the play we choose to be uplifting and light-hearted. Therefore,..."

"I have a suggestion Mrs. Darbus", states Sharpay brightly.

Ryan and Sharpay are sitting next to each other on the front row, center of the auditorium.

"I'm open to any good ideas. Sharpay, what do you have in mind?"

"It's a musical, a story of love at it's most complete. It's called, O.T."

"Sharpay that's a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Othello", Ms. Darbus says incredulously.

"Yes ma'am, I know and I know how much you adore Shakespeare."

"But Sharpay, dear, Othello is a tragedy. It's the story of betrayal, lust, misunderstanding, and tragedy which results in the downfall of the male lead and the murder of the female lead", she states patronizingly.

"Yes ma'am, I do understand --- sounds just like love to me."

"Yes...well...I don't know quite know how to respond to that."

Ryan just gives Sharpay an odd look.

"I...I have an idea, Ms. Darbus", Gabriella raises her hand and says timidly. She is sitting on the aisle seat, third row back, next to Kelsi. Since the Tinketown production, Gabriella has decided to take a more active role in drama, especially since her guidance counselor pointed out that being well-rounded student looks really good on college applications.

"Yes Gabriella, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, it's old, but it's one of my mother's favorites..."

"Get on with it, dear."

"How about _Bye, Bye Birdie_?"

Ryan and Sharpay turn to each other and mouth, _Bye, Bye Birdie,_ with disdain.

"_Bye, Bye Birdie_", echoes Mrs. Darbus thoughtfully. "Well now, we haven't done that one in _years_. Snappy lyrics, timeless plot, peppy, loads of appeal. Excellent choice Ms. Montez." And then, in true Ms. Darbus style, she states, "_Bye Bye Birdie_ it is! We'll start set and costume design immediately and auditions will be in three weeks. Good meeting people, you're all dismissed."

TBC

Please don't hate me, but I swear I'll get them back together eventually. And it's a real doozy, but you'll just have to be patient and review (it makes me write faster).

A/N 1: Hey, I'm looking for a name for a future chapter. I'll take nominations. A guy's name, dumb jock type. Extremely small part, so far will only be mentioned in two lines. So give the name of someone, first and last, you don't like and if I like the name I'll use it and give you credit.

A/N 2: Research girl here again... Carlsbad, New Mexico is about 5 hours Southeast of Albuquerque. Home of the world famous Carlsbad Caverns. Truly monumental. Much better than anything we've got here in the East. See with my fics you can always tell your parents your learning about the culture and national monuments of the southwest. Now you know all about Cottonwood trees on the Rio Grande and Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park.

A/N 3: Now we know more about Lisa Bolton. I just love this woman; wish she was my mom. She's a preschool teacher which means she'll have the same days off as Coach Bolton and also furthers my theory have they are a normal family and not rolling in the bucks as one would assume from that house they showed in the movie. I mean, honestly, do you know anyone who lives like it. If you do, can I come visit?

A/N 4: Don't you just love that name, Suzy Crabgrass? Now I'm going to have Ned's Declassified suing me too.

A/N 5: My high school did Bye, Bye Birdie and I loved the old Ann Margaret movie about it. A friend of mine who's read more Shakespeare than me (but that's not hard), said my story sounds like Othello with all the misunderstanding and conclusion jumping, so I looked it up and found O.T., A Modern Retelling of Othello. Originally, I was going to use it, but since I've never seen it, thought that would be too hard. But, hey, I didn't want to waste the research, so it got a mention and speaks volumes to Sharpay's state of mind. So now it's Bye, Bye Birdie, but who get which part???? Sharpay, of course, will be Kim, the girl who wins the kiss with Conrad Birdie, an Elvis Presley-like heart throb. Hugo is Kim's boyfriend who is jealous. Kim and Conrad never actually kiss because Hugo barges in and knocks him out. I'm thinking of having Ryan be the boyfriend, Hugo, and Troy be Conrad, that way Ryan can punch Troy for all the trauma he's caused his sister and Troy gets to wiggle his hips like Elvis. I'm asking for advise here, folks. Please give me your opinion.

I'm really anxious to get to my big moment, which I've already written, by the way, but I've got a couple chapters of plot and filler (to be honest) before I get to that point. Just please, please hang in there.


	9. Ch 8: I Can Do Most Anything I Have To

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Chapter 8: I Can Do Most Anything I Have To

After a restless night's sleep, Troy has come to a resolution, of sorts. He knows he will always love Sharpay; he's had a puppy love crush on her since eighth grade. That puppy love has grown steadily to unrequited love during the interceding years. His own peer group, made up of mostly guys like Chad, from the basketball team, seems to despise all the people in Sharpay's peer group, the Drama Club. After the whole school showed its open support for everyone breaking free from their stereotypes, it looked like people were finally able to break out of their clicks. Even Chad has started (and stopped) dating Taylor (several times) since then. Therefore when Troy ran into Sharpay two nights ago, it seemed like a golden opportunity to bridge more clicks and have a chance to really get to know her. Which he did, to the extreme. It was the absolutely best night of his life and he will never forget it, but now he resolves that it will have to remain just that --- a memory. Despite his feelings of betrayal, he'll never stop loving her, but he has to move on with his life.

The End  
PSYCH!!! Just kidding, I must be getting punchy.

"Morning son. Could I get a ride into school with you today? My car's still in the shop and won't be finished til tomorrow", Jack Bolton asks as he's reading the morning paper and finishing his breakfast.

"Sure Dad, no problem."

Jack looks up to acknowledge Troy's answer when he gets a good look at his son who has just entered the kitchen. "Troy, what's going on? You look like shit."

"Jack!", Lisa Bolton chastises in a raised voice. She is standing on the other side of the kitchen, loading her breakfast things into the dishwasher. _You definitely do not see a picture of Jack Bolton next to the definition of the word __**subtle**__ in the dictionary._

"Oh, sorry", to his wife, and then back to Troy, "It's just, you look like someone killed your puppy."

_Feels like it too. _ "I just didn't sleep well Dad, that's all. I'll go to bed early tonight and I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow." Troy starts to pick at his cereal. He has no appetite and he feels dead tired which matches with his pale face and the dark circles under his eyes.

"Well, I hope so. At least be grateful the season's over. You don't look like you could run once around the court today", Jack continues, oblivious to the glares Lisa's shooting at him. "Speaking of basketball, do you have your uniform packed for today?"

"Uniform? What for?"

"The picture retakes, didn't you hear about them yesterday?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know it affected us."

"Well, it does, so bring your uniform and the retakes will be during free period in the gym."

"Sure Dad, no problem." _Oh man, big problems..._ Aloud Troy says, "You know I'd better go get my stuff together now, before I forget." Troy jumps up and heads out of the room.

"Jack...what am going to do with you?", asks Lisa after Troy leaves.

Jack glances up and says idly , "What? What did I do?" Hearing no response he returns to reading his sports section.

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Twenty minutes later, Lisa Bolton walks out of her bathroom, wearing her white bathrobe, with a confused look on her face.

"Jack?", she asks her husband as he is sitting on the bed putting on his shoes, "have you seen my foundation?"

"Your foundation? Is this some strange new way to get me to comment on your rear? Because you know I love _every_ part of you", he says as he rises to his feet and wraps his arms her Lisa's waist and pulls her toward you.

"No, silly. And stop that", she says annoyed as he starts to nuzzle behind her ear and snake his hand into her robe, "I'm going to be late as it is. I can't find my foundation, my make-up. It's the skin-colored cream that I put on my face." She scoots away from him as she finishes, "You didn't move it, did you?"

"No, I never touch any of _your_ things."

"Well, I can't get ready without it", she says, ignoring his thinly veiled comment about her moving _his_ things.

"I think you look beautiful without anything on", he adds as he wiggles his eyebrows.

"Very funny. Well, I guess I'll just have to skip it and just wear blush today. I'll stop by the store on the way home and pick up some more. It's just the strangest thing", she mumbles as she goes back into the bathroom.

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"Hey, Troy, don't you know you're supposed to take dumps at home?", Jason jokes from outside a bathroom stall. "Coach says to get out here."

Troy is standing in the small stall frantically rubbing his mom's L'Oreal Feel Naturale Light Softening One-Step Makeup in Soft Ivory over his tattoo. Why couldn't he have played football where he'd at least have some sleeves? His basketball jersey is a sleeveless tank. He finishes up as quickly as possible and wipes his hands on some toilet paper. He jams the makeup tube into his gym bag and runs out to join the team.

Colin Creevy is impatiently waiting for Troy to show up for the shot, well, as impatiently as a ninth grade boy who is only five feet tall and weighs 95 pounds can look when surrounded by a championship basketball team.

The team starts to cheer exaggeratedly as Troy trots up to take his spot in the center of the team. Colin spends the next ten minutes positioning them for the perfect shot. As good natured as they are, the entire team is ready to pummel him by the time he finally takes that shot.

As Colin is packing up his equipment, the coach reminds him to not lose this one because they won't be doing this again.

Chad walks up to Troy and asks, "Hey man, you disappeared on me yesterday. What happened with 'you know who'?", he asks conspiratorially in a whispered voice.

Troy sighs, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me. Come on over here and sit down; we've got plenty of time before the next class", Chad says as he indicates for them to sit down on the bleachers. The gym is now deserted except for the two of them.

"It was a set-up, Chad."

"Uh, uh, yeaaaah, I know Troy. Remember, I'm the one who set it up."

"No, not you, _her._", explains Troy, "She knew what was going on the whole time. She told me so. You know it was her idea to have the cookie eating contest, don't you?"

"Uhhh? That doesn't make any sense."

"Well, it does to me. Now that I've thought about it. And you know what? I really don't want to talk about this anymore and by the way, you can tell Zeke he can stopped hiding from me. I'm not going to hurt him."

"I keep telling him that, but he's scared to death. He didn't even come to school yesterday."

"Hey, what does Zeke know about what happened the other night? What did you tell him?"

"No prob, Troy. You know me; I'm quick on my feet", ignoring Troy's irritated look, Chad continues, "Seriously, I told him your car ran out of gas and when Ryan and me found you and Sharpay that Ryan took Sharpay home and I drove you home because you were too sleepy to drive."

"And he believed _that._"

"Well, Zeke is a tad on the naïve side, you know? And I did bring a gallon of gas with me when we picked up the car. Hey, come on man, let's get going and I promise no one will ever find out anything from me and we won't talk about it anymore. I'll just pretend it's some knowledge that I've already been tested on, then I'll be sure to forget it", Chad says as he takes his left palm and jokingly slaps Troy on his right bicep. He draws his hand back immediately and doesn't notice Troy's panicked expression as his eyes dart around the gym to see if anyone else is there. Troy quickly covers his right arm with his left hand.

"Yuck!", Chad exclaims. "What _is_ this?", he asks as he looks at his palm, "Is this make-up? You aren't doing another play are you?"

"No way. Believe me, my life has enough drama, as it is?" _I can't believe how lucky I am._

"Then, what is _this_?", Chad asks suspiciously.

_Or not?_ "Ummm, it's a long story and I don't have time to explain."

"Then, give me the short version, now. You're wearing women's make-up today. You were going into the girl's bathroom yesterday. As your best friend, I think I deserve an explanation", Chad finishes with an expectant stare on his face.

Troy lets out a heavy sigh as he takes a handkerchief from his pocket and starts to wipe off his arm.

Chad is still staring.

"It's a...tattoo, okay?", Troy says as he finishes wiping off enough to allow Chad to see it.

"A TATTOO!", Chad exclaims excitedly.

"Shhhhhhhhhh! Are you _crazy_ or something? Keep it down", Troy whispers loudly.

"A tattoo", Chad repeats in an excited whisper. "That's the coolest thing I've ever hear of. When did you get it? Did it hurt? How long did it take? How much did it cost? Can I see it, uh, uh, can I?"

"God Chad, get it grip, will ya? I got it Sunday night after the...um...party. Here, you might as well, take a look", Troy says reluctantly.

"Wow, wings and it says...HE PAYS?...What is that, some sort of religious thing?", Chad asks confusedly.

"No, you dolt! Here", he grabs the bottom of Chad's jersey and wipes away the rest of the make-up. "It says, S-H-A-R-P-A-Y", Troy pronounces very slowly.

"Oh." And then it really hits him and he repeats, "OOOOOOh. That is so not good, man."

"Yeah, I know."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, since you two are on the outs, are you going to have it removed or what?"

"Removed? I hadn't even thought about that. I don't think I could that, not now, anyway. I wonder what she'll do?", Troy says quietly, almost to himself.

"Who?", Chad asks.

"Sharpay, of course. You think she'll have hers removed? Think she hates me that much?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Sharpay got a tattoo, too?", he questions, disbelievingly, and then, in pure Chad style, asks, "Where _is_ it, maaaan?"

"Will you just stop? This is serious."

"I know...I know. I'm sorry Troy. Hey, we're gonna be late. Let's get changed", then, thinking clearly for the first time in the last several minutes, Chad takes Troy's handkerchief and ties it around his arm. "Let's go."

"Hey Chad, let's keep this just between the two of us, okay?"

"No problem, that's what best friends are for."

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"How about Date Movie, this Friday night?", Gabriella asks as she and Taylor join Chad and Troy at what used to be the jock's table. They put down their lunch trays and sit down.

"A date movie?", asks Troy nervously.

"No silly, the movie is called Date Movie", explains Gabriella. "It just opened last weekend; it's supposed to be really funny."

"It's a spoof of date movies", adds Taylor.

"Well, I guess that would be okay", Troy says looking to Chad for confirmation, "all four of us are going together, right?"

"Sure man, sounds like fun", Chad says. _Troy really needs some fun in his life._

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"Why don't you come with me to the meeting tomorrow, Shar?", asks Ryan.

Sharpay is driving and she and Ryan are in their BMW returning from their three hour combination jazz and tap dancing class.

"I'm not really interested in the prom this year and besides, explain to me how this helps further the Plan, Ryan?", she says flatly.

"Not everything is about the Plan, Sharpay."

"Well it is for me and it should be for you too."

"But Shar, we need your help. You're very creative and really good at coming up with themes. And besides, if we're on the decorating committee, then we can make sure it's done right. You remember what happened last year. It ended up that most of the prom committee were members of the chess club and those geeks picked 'Welcome to Middle Earth' as the theme. They made Hobbits and Golum out of chicken wire and paper mache. They had poor Sarah Purdy walking around on stilts all night pretending to be the elf queen and the janitor was dressed up like Gandalf the Grey."

"Mr. Winkle wasn't dressed up, he really looked like that. And remember after everyone spent the whole night calling him Gandalf, he shaved his beard and got his hair cut, so the whole night wasn't a complete bust", Sharpay points out as she turns the car into their driveway.

"Oh, yeeaah. I remember. Anyway, you've got to help. Please, Sharpay,...for the good of the school,...for the reputation of our class. It's the Junior class who'll get blamed if this is crappy", Ryan pleads shamelessly.

"Well alright, I guess I could spare a little time."

"Oh thanks, I know you won't regret this."

"We'll see about that", she warns.

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Ryan is sitting at one of the round tables in the cafeteria where the first meeting of the prom planning committee is taking place. Sharpay is sitting to his right.

"Alright people, let's get started. We've already wasted ten minutes and we only have 40 more minutes of free period left."

The Junior/Senior Prom planning committee represents an odd cross-section. There are Ryan and Sharpay Evans, undoubtedly two of the most talented and creative people in the school; Violet Black, the female goth performance artist, who so 'disturbed' Mrs. Darbus during her audition for Twinkle Town; Lydia Owens and Mitzi Giesler: two giggling cheerleaders, no one's sure why they're here; and Jake Jenkins who so loves wood-shop that he joined the committee in hopes of building something, anything, as long as it takes lots of power tools to make it.

"Does anyone have any ideas for the theme for this year's prom?", asks Ryan, reluctantly.

"Well", begins a giggling Lydia, "we were thinking of a circus theme with real lions, tigers and bears."

"Oh, my", responds Ryan and Sharpay, simultaneously.

Violet starts next and says in a dull, monotone voice, "What about 'My Life, My Rules, My Way'? The colors can be black...and black. Anyone who shows up at the prom wearing anything but...black would be spray-painted...black."

"I'll take this one, Ryan", Sharpay whispers to her brother and says to the goth girl in her very best 'Darbus' voice, "Well... that was just... very disturbing. Go see a counselor."

Jake Jenkins timidly raises his right hand, the one with only four fingers (no one said he was particularly good at wood shop), "I...I have an idea. How about 'Almost Paradise' as the theme? It's the love song from the movie Footloose. We can center the whole night around the movie with an 80's theme and play 80's music and wear 80's clothes", then noticing the disdainful looks he is receiving from everyone at the table, he quickly lowers his hand and says quietly, "Ah, on second thought, maybe not."

Sharpay announces in an authoritative voice, "Okay people, listen up and pay attention. Our prom theme is going to be 'Midnight Masquerade'. We're going to turn our gym into a Mardi Gras street fair. Jake, you're going to build plywood props of grinning jeweled masks, and dancing and juggling harlequins, which Lydia and Mitzi's cheerleader friends will paint for us. I've already contacted a Dixieland Jazz band and arranged for them to play and of course, there'll be a traditional rock band here too."

Everyone except Ryan is staring at Sharpay in amazement. He already knows what his sister is capable of.

Sharpay continues, "The juggling club is very exciting about participating. They'll roam around throughout the night as street performers. They told me they even have harlequin costumes to wear. And the JV cheerleaders are thrilled to be helping too. They'll dress in lots of feathers and be street tumblers.  
"Now as for food, we'll have traditional New Orleans fare: jambalaya, gumbo, Cajun style seafood and chicken. And for desserts, we'll have pralined pecans, cream puffs and fruit tarts.  
"Near the end of the night, the Dixieland band will form a parade and march around the gym throwing strings of beads along with the street performers. Then finally, since everyone will be wearing masks, obviously, since it's a masquerade, they'll all remove them at the stroke of midnight and loads of purple and green confetti will drop from the ceiling."

"Wow, this whole idea is just...wow...like amazing", says Jake in awe, "and I can get right on those decorations. This is going to be so cool and I get to use my sabre saw."

"Oh, how about we add Crème Brule to the desserts?", suggest Mitzi excitedly, "that's Zeke Baylor's specialty. I'm sure he'd love to help."

"Ummm,...we'll have to take that under advisement", Ryan says tactfully.

Sharpay just lowers her head so no one can see her Ice Queen mask slip.

"What about me?", Violet asks, morosely, "What can I do?"

"Well...", Ryan ponders, trying to give Sharpay a chance to pull herself together.

"How about voodoo?", Violet suggests.

"Voodoo?", Sharpay echoes as she pushes all thoughts of Zeke and anything else that happened that night to the back of her mind.

"Yeah, voodoo, what's New Orleans without voodoo? How about a voodoo priestess who tells fortunes by rolling chicken bones."

"Chicken bones, eww?", echoes the cheerleaders.

"Well, I suppose she could use simulated bones."

"That's a little...dark, but it might work. Could be fun. But where would we find your fortune teller?", asks a fully in-control Sharpay.

"Oh don't worry. I have someone in mind", reassures Violet.

Just then the bell rings announcing the end to open period.

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Troys pulls his car to a stop in front of Gabriella's house.

"Well, here we are", Troy announces awkwardly and unnecessarily.

"Yep. I had a great time Troy. The movie was really funny and the company was great", says Gabriella.

"Yeah, me too. Weird though, that we missed Chad and Taylor."

"Yeah, I know when I talked to Taylor we agreed to meet for the 7:30 show. How they messed that up, I'll never know."

"Well, at least we were able to spot them coming out when we were going in, so we knew what happened. I'll talk to him about it more tomorrow", finishes Troy.

"Well...", states Gabriella, "I guess I should be going."

"Oh sorry, let me get your door", Troy says suddenly as he jumps out and runs around the car to open the door for Gabriella.

"Thanks."

They walk up to Gabriella's front door in awkward silent. Gabriella gets out her keys and starts to unlock the door as she turns to say, "You want to come in for a minute? My mom's probably asleep, but she won't mind. She really likes you."

"Ummmm, I don't think so, Gabriella. It's really late and I should be getting home."

"Oh", she says, disappointedly, "well, I'll see you on Monday then, okay?"

"Yeah, have a good night's sleep."

He waits until she is safely in the house and then goes back to his car. On his drive home, he has the weirdest feeling, like he's being unfaithful by going on a date (even an accidental one) with Gabriella. He can't help but think about what Sharpay is doing right now.

TBC

Well, what do you think? More plot, no troypay here, but they're still thinking about each other.

A/N 1: Couldn't help the crude guy talk in the locker room. See a guy would only go into a stall to...you know.

A/N 2: Colin Creevy, yep? The little kid from Harry Potter, which btw, I also don't own.


	10. Ch 9: I Can't Unlove You

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Chapter 9: I Can't Unlove You

"Hellooo?", mumbles Chad into his cell.

"Okay, what's going on Chad?", asks Troy sternly. He is pacing anxiously back and forth across his bedroom floor.

"Whaaa? Troy, is that you, man? What time is it?", he asks sleepily. Chad is lying sprawled over his bed, tied up in his sheets.

"It's time you started telling me the truth, Chad. You set me up with Gabriella, didn't you?"

"Come on, Troy. It's for your own good. You want...no...you need to forget about 'you know who'."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Chad, she's not Lord Vordemort. It's okay to say her name, you know."

"Okay, okay, but it's over, right? She hates you; you hate her, right?"

"I never said..."

"But it is _over_, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Then it's time to move on. You know, like the saying goes: when you fall off a horse, the best thing to do is to get right back on --- even if it's a different, ah, horse, if you know what I mean."

"That's the stupidest thing you've ever said and that's saying a lot."

"Come on man, you're miserable, right? And she's a nice girl, right? So give it a chance, okay?"

"Alright and you're right, I am miserable and you're right again, Gabriella is a nice girl." _I'm just not sure she's the girl for me._

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"So, how did it go last night? Did you two have fun, _all alone_? Did he ask you, yet?", asks Taylor as she slides into her seat next to Gabriella in homeroom.

"What do you mean by _all alone_ and did he ask me what?, Gabriella asks suspiciously.

"Well...", Taylor says awkwardly. "Chad and I thought you two needed a little time by yourselves."

"So you two are playing matchmakers or something?" Gabriella asks confusedly.

"Yeah, sort of. Chad thinks Troy needs to get out of this rut he's in and I think he's a nice guy who'd be perfect for you. So, did he ask you?

"Ask me what, Taylor? You're talking in riddles today?"

"To the prom, of course."

"The prom?? We've only been on one date and that was an _accident _or at least we thought it _was_."

"Well, the prom is less than two weeks away and I really do think you're perfect for each other."

"I don't know, Taylor,... I mean I reeeally like Troy, but I don't think he likes me. It seems like he's having a good time, but then he backs off."

"Maybe he's just shy."

"But he's the most popular guy in school. He must've had tons of girlfriends before I moved here, right?"

"I've never seen him with anyone. All he ever does is play basketball and well, he did the play with you... I know...", Taylor says excitedly, "get him to audition in the next play with you."

"I guess I could...that's a good idea. Auditions are only two weeks away, but I'll give it my best shot. Thanks, Taylor."

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"So...how was everyone's weekend?", Taylor starts off the conversation to her unusually quiet friends.

Taylor, Chad, Troy and Gabriella are just sitting down to eat lunch in the school cafeteria.

"Good", "Fine", "Okay" is echoed back to her in flat, unenthusiastic tones.

"I hear the prom is going to be cool this year", Taylor continues with her agenda. "The theme is Mardi Gras."

"Mardi Gras? That sounds like a lot of fun", adds Gabriella with a smile.

"Yeah, it should be a blast", puts in Chad, "Taylor and I are going together. Maybe the two of you could come with us. We're going out to eat at la Placita in Old Town before the prom."

"Yeah, you two should join us. It's a fun place. They have pretty good Mexican food and the best part is there's a live tree right in the middle of the dining room and growing out through the roof."

"Well, I don't really like Mexican food all that much, but I'm sure I could find something to eat there", Gabriella says with a disdainful look on her face.

"How can _you_ not like Mexican food?", asks Chad.

"What do you mean by _that_?", Gabriella retorts.

"Well, aren't you Mexican?", Chad suggests, as he slowly starts to think he's starting a conversation he can't win.

"No, my family is from the Dominican Republic."

"Well, isn't it the same sort of food?"

"No, it isn't and even if it was, you shouldn't assume that everyone likes the same kind of food, just because they're from a certain ethnic class. What would you think if I thought all you liked was fried chicken and watermelon?", Gabriella finishes in a raised voice.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?", Chad asks, matching the volume in his voice to hers.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys! Chill, alright? Nobody means anything by anything, right? Chad? Gabi?", Taylor says as she tries to play peacemaker. This conversation just went way south and she needs to get it back on track.

"Yeah", "Sure", they both grumble.

"Okaaay, goood", Taylor says slowly. "So what do you think, Troy? Want to join us on prom night?"

All three of his friends are staring at Troy, who is completely oblivious to them and their recent argument. He is absentmindedly scratching his right bicep as he intently watches a small blond sitting at a table on the balcony with her back to him. She is awkwardly scratching the back of her right shoulder as she talks with friends at her table. Troy can't help but smile sadly as he watches her. _It itches like the devil, just like mine._

"Troy, hey man!", Chad reaches over and shakes his shoulder. "Where were you?"

"What?", Troy looks around confused.

"You were zoning out, Troy", Taylor explains, "we've been talking to you for awhile."

"Oh, really, what about?"

"You're kidding? You haven't heard any of this conversation?"

"No, did I miss something?"

Just then, some of the cheerleaders walk up to join them.

"Hey guys, we're planning on getting together next Sunday to help paint the props for the prom. We're trying to get the whole basketball team to help. Can you guys come?", Mitzi asks the whole table.

"Well sure, I suppose. I'm not doing anything then. How 'bout you, Troy, Tay, Gabriella?", says Chad.

"I'm going to out-of-town with my family", says Taylor.

"I could help, if someone could pick me up?", Gabriella puts in.

"Yeah, I guess I could help and I can swing by to pick you up", says Troy to Gabriella and then to Chad says, "We learned all about painting props and scenery with Mrs. Darbus, remember Chad?"

"Oh yeah, how could I forget?", laments Chad.

"Good, meet in the gym at two", finishes Mitzi as the cheerleaders leave to enlist more help.

"Speaking of Mrs. Darbus? Are you going to try out for the new play, Troy?", asks Gabriella.

"I don't think I'm up to it this time", states Troy.

"Oh you should definitely try out Troy. It's 'Bye, Bye, Birdie'. It'll be a lot of fun."

"And besides, we don't want those Evans twins to just rule the day again, do we?", adds Taylor, completely unmindful that she is saying anything wrong. Chad has remained true to his word and hasn't told anyone about what happened between Troy and Sharpay.

Chad's eyes widen in surprise just as Troy's narrow in anger.

"What do you mean by that, Taylor?", asks Troy in a low voice.

"What?", Taylor asks innocently.

"Oh, I don't think she meant anything serious", Chad says quickly. It's his turn to play peacemaker.

"And besides there's loads of great parts in the play. You should really think about it, Troy. You're very talented", finishes Gabriella. She doesn't understand why he became upset, but she needs to redirect the conversation back to try-outs.

"Well, okay,...I mean...I'll think about it."

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After lunch, Chad is standing with Taylor as she gets books from her locker.

"Well, that certainly could have gone better", remarks Taylor.

"I can't believe you brought up Sharpay Evans", Chad scolds.

"I can't believe you nearly got into a fist fight with Gabi and what are you talking about? I didn't say anything about Sharpay directly, I was talking about the Evans twins."

"Well Troy's real sensitive about her right now, okay? So, let's try to not bring her up."

"Are you telling me what to do again? And why is Troy so _sensitive_ about Sharpay? They barely know each other."

Realizing that he has just stuck his foot in his mouth, _again_. Chad decides the only way to get out of this is to distract Taylor with a full frontal assault.

"So what if I'm telling you what to do? You're my woman, right?", Chad says with all the false bravado he can muster.

"What did you say?", Taylor says very slowly and directly.

"I said, you are my woman."

"Your woman!? Just who do you think you are? Wait, don't answer that; I don't want to know. Answer this instead: have you paid for your tux for the prom, yet?"

"No, why?", Chad asks nervously.

"Good, then don't bother", Taylor says as she slams her locker door and storms off.

"Man, I hope Troy appreciates what a good friend I am", he mumbles to himself as he heads off in the opposite direction.

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It's Wednesday afternoon and Troy is standing in front of the sign-up board staring at Sharpay's outrageously pink signature. He can't help but chuckle.

Gabriella walks up behind him. "What's so funny?", she asks.

"Oh, I'm just looking at Sharpay's signature. It's so,...you know...Sharpay."

"Not much room for anyone else to sign up, is there?", comments Gabriella.

"Are you going to audition?"

"Yeah, I think I will", Gabriella says as she writes her name under Sharpay's. "How about you? Have you decided?"

There are no couples auditions this time; everyone auditions individually.

"Yeah, I think I have. May I?", he asks as he indicates the pen. He takes it and writes his name directly under Gabriella's. Even if she doesn't like him anymore, at least he can be close to her by working on the play.

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One sure way to forget your grief is to stay so busy that you're too exhausted to be sad. And it seems to be working for Sharpay. What with planning for the prom in less than one week, preparing for the audition in two weeks, plus her incredibly busy schedule, there has been little time left to even think about Troy Bolton. If only her dreams would leave her alone.

Sharpay is sitting on one of the bleachers in the gymnasium rubbing her tired eyes. She hasn't slept well in over a week. She hasn't slept well since 'the night', if she is being honest with herself.

"They should be here anytime now, Shar", Ryan comments as he sits down beside her, "it's almost two o'clock."

"Yeah, Jake has all the cutouts made. All that's left is to paint them. The cheerleaders should have a ball."

"You, okay? You look tired", Ryan comments.

"I'm fine; I'm always fine. You know that Ryan", replies the Ice Princess.

"Yeah, I know more than you think, Sharpay."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means this whole Troy Bolton thing is eating you up inside. You don't eat anymore. You don't sleep anymore. You hardly ever smile anymore. You don't have to be a superwoman, Sharpay."

"That's where you're wrong, Ryan. That's exactly who I have to be. I have to stay focused on the Plan and forget about Troy Bolton. Don't you understand that, Ry?"

Before they can discuss further, cheerleaders and basketball players start streaming into the gymnasium.

"Hi, guys!", Lydia says brightly, "we brought lots of help!"

You can almost hear the mask click into place, "Great!", Sharpay chirps back just as brightly as she jumps up from the bleacher seat. "Come right on over here everyone and we'll get started."

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Two hours later and the painting is still going strong. Everyone is working hard and seems to be having a good time. Sharpay is sitting back looking at the harlequin cut-out she is painting as she casually scratches that darn spot on her shoulder. She is painting over in a corner of the gymnasium and is not easily observed by the rest of the workers. Suddenly, strong fingers start to gently massage the tattoo through her shirt.

"Aaaah, thanks Ryan, that's feels great. I never knew these things could itch so much", she says in a whisper.

"I agree, it's a bitch, isn't it?", Troy says quietly.

"Ohhh!", Sharpay shouts as she jumps back from him. "What...what are you doing?"

"Just trying to help. You looked like you were having trouble reaching it. I know just how you feel."

Misinterpreting what he said, she responds harshly, "You have no idea how I _feel_, Bolton."

Ignoring her outburst, he continues, "Well, you look tired. You look like you haven't slept well in over a week and you look how I feel, so I think I _do_ know how you're feeling."

She starts to feel the ice surrounding her heart begin to melt. Then, as she is about to respond, Sharpay looks up and sees Gabriella walk up.

"Hey Troy, I've been looking everywhere for you. Chad's going to make a run down to the Quickie Mart and wants to know if you want a soda or something?"

Whispering so Gabriella can't hear, Sharpay says, "I _am_ tired, Bolton, tired of you bothering me, so why don't you head off with your little girlfriend there and leave me alone."

Hurt at her harsh words, Troy leaves with Gabriella without saying a word.

Sharpay quickly gets up and runs off towards the girl's locker room.

Ryan is standing quietly to the side observing the entire scene.

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Troy and Gabriella are sitting outside on the curb, taking a break from the stifling paint fumes in the gymnasium and waiting for Chad to come back with the snacks.

Just then, Ryan walks up.

"Hey, Troy? Can I talk to you for a minute?", Ryan asks seriously.

"Sure."

"Let's go for a walk", Ryan says as he walks away from the others and Troy follows him.

"So, what's up?", asks Troy as soon as they're out of earshot of the other students.

"That's exactly what I want to know."

"I don't understand."

"Of course, you do. She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore, Bolton. Don't you get it?", Ryan states with conviction.

"She said that?", Troy asks unbelievingly.

"Yes, she did. She said she wants to forget about you, so why don't you help the both of you and forget about her, too", as he finishes, Ryan turns around and walks off.

Troy is stunned and he slowly walks back toward the other students.

"Here you go, Troy. Dr. Pepper, right?", Chad says as he hands Troy a can of soda and a bag of chips.

"Thanks, man", Chad says quietly.

Chad sits down next to him. Gabriella is sitting with some of the cheerleaders a little further down from them.

"Okay, what's with you? I thought you were doing better", comments Chad, "but you look like crap."

"I really don't know, Chad. I...I thought I would be able to talk to her today...maybe gets things sorted out."

"Talk to who --- Sharpay? What are you talking about? I thought you said she used you, so what is there to sort out?"

"I...I don't completely understand it myself, but it looks like she doesn't want anything to do with me, but I can't unlove her, man."

"Oh, you've got it bad."

"Yep."

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Taylor and Gabriella are talking in the girl's bathroom between classes.

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong, Taylor", complains Gabriella.

"He still hasn't asked you yet? Chad asked me three or four times already", comments Taylor.

"I thought you told him you wouldn't go with him?"

"Oh, I did, but I'll go with him. I'm going tell him I changed my mind the next time he asks. You just have to know how to play them. I'll let him think I've finally forgiven him when I really wasn't all that mad in the first place."

"Well, I don't know how to _play_ Troy", Gabriella states flatly.

"Yeah, the direct approach doesn't seem to be working. I mean we practically asked him for you last week."

"It's like there's something holding him back; like he's waiting for something to happen."

"Well, if nothing happens by Friday, you can tag along with us."

"I can't do that. It's your prom for goodness sake."

"It's your prom too, you know?"

"Yeah, I know", Gabriella says as they both head out of the bathroom.

Sharpay slowly opens the door on the last stall and peers out to make sure she is alone. As she's washing her hands, she looks up into the mirror and sees something she hasn't seen in over two weeks --- hope.

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"Come on man, it's already Friday and the prom is tomorrow. Why don't you go ahead and ask Gabriella? She's a nice girl. Trust me, she really wants to go with you. So what's the hold up?", Chad says as he and Troy are walking between buildings on their way to class.

"I suppose you're right. I should just ask her, right?", asks Troy hesitantly.

"Absolutely, man. Today, in fact. Don't wait any longer."

"Alright, I'll try and talk to her during free period. I'll meet me on the roof."

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As the bell rang signaling the start of free period, Sharpay starts to frantically look for Troy. She has her whole speech rehearsed. Nothing is going to stop her, if she can only find him.

Troy makes his way up to the roof to meet with Gabriella. He's still hesitant about asking her to the prom, but with pressuring from Chad and Taylor, he's finally been worn down. She is a nice girl and he supposes he'll have a good time.

Gabriella is waiting on the wooden bench staring out into the sky. Chad told her that Troy wanted to meet her up here, but he wouldn't tell her why.

"Uh, hi", Troy says shyly as he joins her and sits down.

"Hi there", Gabriella echoes his shyness.

"Um well, pretty day, isn't it?", comments Troy casually.

"Yeah, did you ask me to meet you here to discuss the weather?"

"Well, no. Actually, I wanted to ask if you were doing anything tomorrow night?"

"You mean, prom night?", she asks as she let's a small smile come to her lips.

"Um, yeah, prom night."

"Troy, are you asking me to go with you to the prom?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Oh, yes", Gabriella squeals as she reaches over excitedly and hugs him to her.

Sharpay hears voices as she starts up the stairs. _Troy, he's up here._ As she reaches the top, Sharpay sees Gabriella grab Troy and hug her to him.

As Gabriella pulls back, she says, "I'm so excited. This is going to be a perfect night", then glancing up and seeing Sharpay at the entrance, she hugs him again and pulls him in for a wet, sloppy kiss.

Sharpay isn't going to run away this time. Troy is sitting with his back to her and so she can't see the shocked expression on his face when Gabriella attacks him with her sloppy kiss.

"What the hell is going on here?", Sharpay demands.

Gabriella seems oblivious to Sharpay's angry tone. "Oh. Hi, Sharpay", she chirps happily, "Troy just asked me to the prom. Isn't that great?"

"Oh yeah, great", Sharpay retorts sarcastically.

"Sharpay, what are you doing here?", asks Troy as he turns around awkwardly to see Sharpay standing there with her hands on her hips.

Sharpay shifts stiffly as she says, "Well, I...I wanted to talk to you, Troy."

"That's nice Sharpay, but we're a little busy here. Aren't we, Troy?", Gabriella says irritatedly.

"Um, well", says Troy, lamely.

"We need to plan our date night, coordinate our cloths, all that sort of thing."

"All that sort of thing?", echoes Sharpay, "Is that right, Troy?"

"Well, yeah. I guess so. I did just ask her and all."

"Yes, he _did_", says Gabriella, suddenly sounding possessive. "Who are you going with, Sharpay? Oh that's right. I forgot what Ryan told me. He's taking you, right? Since you aren't allowed to date. Isn't that right? So even if someone actually asked you to go, you wouldn't be allowed, would you? Not that anyone has asked, anyway." She finishes as she twists the knife.

"Um yeah, that's right", Sharpay says in a quiet voice. All her bravado has just flown away. "Um, I gotta go now. Bye, Troy." And she turns to leave.

"Sharpay, wait", Troy calls as he starts to follow her.

"Troy, wait. Let her go. We really do have a lot to plan", Gabriella reassures him.

"Uh, yeah,...I suppose you're right."

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Earlier that same morning...

"Pssst, Gabriella?", Ryan whispers to Gabriella from the doorway of a classroom. It is still early and first bell hasn't even rang yet. Gabriella is just on her way to the chemistry lab, when she hears Ryan calling her.

"Ryan? What's going on?", she says as she cautiously approaches the room.

"I need to talk to you. It's really important", he adds.

"Sure...okay", she says as she follows him into the empty classroom.

"It's about Sharpay and Troy...", Ryan begins.

"What about them?", Gabriella asks confusedly.

"I think it would be in our best interests if we keep them apart."

"What are you talking about? I wasn't aware that they were together."

"Well, they're not...at least, not anymore."

"Look, I didn't know there was anything going on between them and if there is, then I'll back off. I'm not interested in stepping on anyone's toes, here. I'm not a boyfriend stealer."

"There's nothing to steal. They aren't together, never have been...not really. It's just...well, it's complicated. Let's just say that 'requited' 'attraction' is causing troubles for them both."

"And why should I care about this?"

"Because it's affecting Troy too. Look, it's no secret that you like him. Everyone can see it. So you must have noticed how miserable he's been lately."

"Well, yeah...now that you mention it...But why are you suddenly so concerned about Troy? What do you care?"

"I don't. I don't care anything about Troy, that is. But I do care for my sister. Sharpay is becoming unfocused and getting sloppy. We're a team and when she's not performing up to standards, then it affects me too", Ryan saying with a sigh. "You don't need to know the details. Just believe me when I say they'll both be better off if they forget about each other."

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?", Gabriella asks curiously.

TBC

A/N 1: Please, please don't hate me. I know it seems like I'm really dragging this thing, but there is a very good reason. You have to hang in there for about two more chapters and it will all become as clear as crystal.

A/N 2: Special thanks to Enarra for the suggestion of the restaurant 'la Placita'. Probably not where you'd take a prom date, but it was Chad's idea. He is so much fun to write, except sometimes he doesn't know when to stop. Enarra's a part-time Albuquerquian who I hope will continue to keep me honest on my take on locales.


	11. Ch 10: No Matter How I Try

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Email alerts and PMs are down, so I'll respond to the reviews for chapter 9 here.

To: youtubesmybff aka chel08

About the Harry Potter references... I never seem to plan any of this stuff, it just happens at the moment. Glad you like it.

To: Bl1SSFuln3ss

I love reading your reviews or at least, trying to read your reviews. What do you do, take a big swig of Jolt cola before you start writing. They're a blast.

To: Forbiddenfiction

-5. You're reason this chapter is what it is. About the prom... Can't say anymore here. Read it first.

-6. Yes, Ryan told Gabi all of Sharpay's secrets.

-7. Yes, he did, no one ever said Ryan was the brains in the family.

-8. Hope you didn't die.

To: Shoelace22 and XBeautifulbabe405X

I really didn't want to make Gabriella the bad guy here, but I couldn't figure out how to go with that 'secret spot' scene without it. That's actually the reason that my new story idea popped up, so I could make Gabriella as mean as I want to. Please check it out and tell me what you think; it's called Untitled, for now. Aren't I original?

To: stessa, AlwaysxAddicted, U.S. Princess

Hope you like this one. And thanks for being so faithful with your reviews.

To: AshelyZac4life, xamyxjx

Well, we're getting closer...or not. You'll just have to keep reading.

Chapter 10: No Matter How I Try

The night of the prom approaches without incident, except of course, for the internal turmoil of two lone students.

"Sharpay, are you ready?", calls Ryan from the bottom of the stairs.

The two of them have been at the school the entire day handling all the last minute details involved with the prom. Everything is set; planned down to the smallest detail. They come home with only two hours to spare to get ready to go back to the school to, hopefully, enjoy a great night.

Sharpay comes slowly down the stairs. She looks tired, troubled, because she is, but she also looks stunning in a short black beaded cocktail dress. She is wearing four-inch spiked heels which accentuate her long shapely legs. Her hair is in an elegant updo swept over to the right.

"You look lovely, darling", calls Judith as Sharpay enters the foyer. She is just finishing up Ryan's bow tie. He is wearing a traditional black tuxedo --- the only addition is a black satin top hat, of course.

"Now remember even if this is prom night, I want you home no later than midnight, do you understand?", explains Judith.

"Midnight?! But Mom, it doesn't end until midnight", Ryan complains with a pout on his face.

"Ryan, you heard what I said. Besides, since Sharpay missed her lesson with Madame Dupree this afternoon, she going to go up to Sante Fe tomorrow for a makeup class."

"It's fine with me, Mother. I'd be surprised if I make it that long. I've not been sleeping well lately and after working all day, I'm already dead on my feet."

"Well, don't over do it, alright?", Judith says and then, draws in a deep breath. "Sharpay and Ryan, I just wanted you to know that I've noticed your increased dedication and hard work and I thought it deserved some recognition, so I have a couple of small, well, tokens, really", Judith finishes as she hands Ryan and Sharpay each a box.

Ryan's box is narrow, rectangular and black. He takes it and opens it immediately. It is a Rolex watch.

"Oh wow, Mom! A Yacht-Master II! This is fantastic. I've been wanting this one; I've read all about it. It's got a mechanical memory. Thank you so very much", Ryan says excitedly as he hugs his mother enthusiastically.

Sharpay just gives him a strange look. _What sixteen year old boy reads about Rolex watches?_

Sharpay is more hesitant to open her box. It's larger than Ryan's. It's a square, velvet box which obviously contains some sort of jewelry.

"Oh Mother, you don't have to bribe me to work hard. This is what I want to do", says Sharpay as she holds the unopened box.

"It's not a bribe, Sharpay. It's a reward", Judith explains, "Please open it."

With slightly trembling hands, she opens the box to reveal a large oval ruby pendent surrounded by ten small diamonds on a thick gold necklace. Sharpay is stunned.

"It's you birthstone, of course. And I thought it would look fabulous with your dress."

"Wow Sharpay, that's gigantic", Ryan exclaims. "How many carets is that Mom?"

"Ryan, that's like asking a lady her age. It's simply not done", she chastises. And then to Sharpay, she says, "Here darling, let me help you put it on."

Her mother removes the costume beads Sharpay is wearing and places the magnificent ruby necklace on around her neck.

"Let's take a look at you", she says as she critically exams her daughter. "You look beautiful", Judith says as she embraces Sharpay in a quick hug.

Sharpay looks up at her, stunned. She has never said that to her ever before. Judith always finds fault with something. Inexplicitly, tears come to Sharpay's eyes as Judith pulls back to look at her again.

"Oh no, stop that, right now, Sharpay", Judith commands, not unkindly, "you'll ruin you makeup."

"I'm sorry, Mother. It's just ... I'm so happy."

"Of course, darling. I understand."

"Hey, Sharpay, we'd better get going, we don't want to be late."

"Are you going out to eat before?", Judith asks.

"No, Mother, we're just going to snack at the party. We need to be there before the guests start arriving, just to make sure everything is perfect."

"Good, attention is detail is very important. I'll be awake when you return, so make sure you check in with me."

As soon as they get in the car, Sharpay removes the necklace and puts it in the glove compartment.

"Why'd you do that?", asks Ryan.

"I don't feel comfortable wearing that thing. It's too much", answers Sharpay.

"Well, don't expect me to take off my watch?"

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"Good evening, Mrs. Montez, how are you tonight?", Troy asks politely as Gabriella's mom shows him into the living room.

"Come in, Troy. I'm fine, thank you for asking and Gabriella should be down in a minute."

Just then, Troy hears her coming down the stairs. Looking up, he sees her shoes first and slowly works his way up. She is wearing very tall heeled shoes, which is being her sway slightly. Next are her bare, tanned legs leading up to a very short dress. Troy unconsciously swallows. The dress is black and covered in lace and beads. Gabriella has a matching black shawl draped casually over her arms. Troy has taken in her outstanding outfit as he raises his eyes to look at her face. She has her hair put up elegantly and swept to the side. And as he stares at her, it hits him immediately --- her hair...it's blond.

"Wow, you look ... amazing. But what...what did you do to your hair?", Troy asks skeptically.

Gabriella is standing at the bottom of the stairs now with a radiant smile on her face.

"Oh, you like it?", she touches her hair self-consciously. "It was Taylor's idea. She thought I should try a different look; but don't worry, it's just a temporary rinse. It'll wash right out tomorrow."

"Oh...I like it a lot, but it's just so different, you know?"

"Well, I'm ready, if you are."

"Yeah, I'm ready. We're meeting Taylor and Chad at the restaurant."

"And kids, don't worry about a curfew tonight. It's prom night and I trust both of you, so have fun", Mrs. Montez says as they leave.

"Thank you and I'll take good care of your daughter", reassures Troy.

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"Wow, this is amazing, Sharpay!", exclaims Mitzi.

"You are amazing!", squeals Lydia.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help", Sharpay says graciously. To herself she thinks, _Where did they dig up those dresses and that hair? _ Both girls have their hair teased up high on their heads and their dresses are bright pink satin, full of bows and extra material,... extra material everywhere. _Maybe we should have gone with Jake's 80's theme after all._

"Wow, where ever did you find those wonderful matching dresses?", Ryan remarks sincerely.

"Oh, my mom made them both", Lydia answers.

"Aren't they wonderful?", chirps Mitzi as she twirls around in the dress. "We're BFF, so we wanted matching dresses."

Ryan is clearly entranced with the girls.

"May I escort you lovely ladies back to your dates", Ryan suggests.

"Oh, we didn't come with dates. We just came to have fun."

"Well, in that case, why don't I escort you lovely ladies over to the snack table. The spicy shrimp is really good."

The three of them leave Sharpay standing alone near a decorative, fabricated street lamp. I owe Ryan one for taking Mary Kate and Ashley away. Sighing to herself, Sharpay starts to make her rounds once again. She is feeling and behaving more like the hostess than a girl at her first prom, but she doesn't care. It's just as well that she stay busy. She is just completing one circuit when she heads over to the hors d'oeuvres table. The caterers are doing a magnificent job. Despite what she told her mother about eating at the prom, she has yet to taste anything. She is definitely staying away from any and all party food these days. _However, that bottle of water looks safe._

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"And here we are", Troy announces with a sigh as he pulls his car to a stop and hops out to help his 'passengers'. After Chad decided to sneak a very large flask of vodka into the restaurant, Troy decided to nominate himself as designated driver. He isn't about to drink anything that's going to affect his judgment tonight. Taylor is what his mom would call tipsy; Chad is enjoying a light buzz; and Gabriella is plastered out of her skull. It appears that since Troy didn't want any of the alcohol, Gabriella kept receiving the flask for both her and Troy: Chad, Gabriella, Taylor, Gabriella, Chad, Gabriella and so on. As a result, she can barely walk and she was having enough problems walking on those high-heels when she was sober.

"Hey there Troy", Gabriella slurs, "are we home already?"

"No, Gabriella, we're at the prom, remember? It's prom night."

"Oh yeah, I 'member now."

"Just lean on me. Okay?"

"Okey dokey", replies Gabriella who is feeling no pain.

"You guys okay back there?", Troy call to Chad and Taylor who are still sitting in the backseat and obviously not very interested in getting out of the car.

"Oh, we're doing fine, Troy. You two go on ahead; we'll catch up in a minute", Chad tells him as Taylor is nibbling on his neck.

"Wow, this is unbelievable", Troy says in awe as they enter 'Bourbon Street'. "It's hard to believe this is the gym. And look at that --- jugglers... and the tumblers with all feathers. Man, this is the most impressive thing I've ever seen. Don't you think so, Gabriella?"

Gabriella is staring at the room with a bleary look. She blinks and squints her eyes trying to bring the room into focus.

"Well, it's awfully dark, isn't it?", she asks.

"It's supposed to be. It's a Mardi Gras street carnival in New Orleans, right?"

"I suppose", Gabriella mumbles.

"The music is really cool too. I love jazz. Wonder where she found them?"

"Wonder where who found who?"

"I wonder where Sharpay found the jazz band", he explains slowly. "I heard she planned this whole thing. Hey, let's go see what's in the tent. Come on."

Off in an 'alley' of 'Bourbon Street', there stands a small round colorful tent with a long line of people standing outside it. Pulling Gabriella along, Troy heads towards one of his friends standing in the line.

"Hey Jason, what's going on? What's in the tent?"

"Oh, it's the coolest thing --- a real Voodoo priestess will tell your future by reading chicken bones --- it's sick!"

"Yeah, she's supposed to be pretty amazing, but the line is really long --- we've been standing here for over twenty minutes", adds Kelsi, Jason's date.

Turning to Gabriella, Troy says, "I think a fortune teller sounds like fun. Gabriella, you want to try it?"

"Um, sure. I'm game for anything tonight, Troy", she says as she tries to sound seductive, but her unsteady swaying distracts from the effect.

"You know on second thought, we have all night for this. Why don't we go over to the snack table and get you something to eat? You hardly ate anything at the restaurant and I think it would make you feel better."

As they make their way over to the food, Chad and Taylor join them. Chad looks slightly disheveled with his hair sticking up in strange directions (stranger than his normal, that is); his tie is loose and there are lipstick marks on his collar. Taylor has a very smug expression on her face and her appearance is perfect.

"Hi guys. You two made it in", comments Troy. "We're heading over to the food. Want to join us?"

"Yes, that would be lovely", states Taylor.

"This place sure is boss", comments Chad.

"I agree, absolutely, and the food is amazing too", Troy adds as he snacks on a spicy chicken leg.

Just then, one of the tumblers comes by with a basket full of masks. "Here put these on and keep it on until midnight", she explains. "Confetti will fall from the ceiling and everyone will take off their masks at the same time."

The guys' masks are simple gold with no adornment, nothing frilly. These are in contrast to the girls' masks, which are very elaborate and decorated with purple and green feathers. They all put on the masks.

Even with a mask on, it is hard to miss the slight green pallor to Gabriella's face.

"Um, guys,...I don't feel so good. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that shrimp. I need to go to the bathroom."

"I'll go with you", volunteers Taylor.

"Hey, we're going to go get in line for the fortune teller. Meet us there, okay?", Troy calls out and as an afterthought adds, "Hope you feel better."

As Troy and Chad head over to the line, Troy punches Chad in the shoulder, "This is all your fault, man. Why'd you have to bring that stupid vodka?"

"Hey, it's not my fault if your girlfriend don't have no self control."

"At least we're near the bathroom, so we'll be able to see them coming out."

"Yeah, you're right. There's Taylor now", Chad comments as Taylor walks up to join them. "That didn't take long."

"Where's Gabriella?", Troy asks as he looks behind Taylor, searching for his date.

"She's still in the bathroom. She, uh, well, emptied her stomach, as it were, and now her throat is pretty sore and she's going to lie down for awhile."

"Lie down? On the bathroom floor?", Chad asks with a disgusted look on his face.

"No, you moron, don't you know that all girl's bathrooms have a sofa, or at the very least, a chair?"

"I knew that", Troy states simply. That was the last thing he noticed before Suzy Crabtree slugged him two weeks ago.

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Ten minutes later the jazz band trades out with the stage band and starts playing great dance music.

"Oh, come on Taylor, let's go dance. This is boring. I don't want my biggest memory of the prom to be standing in line with Chad because his girl is busy puking her guts out in the bathroom", Chad whines.

"Weeell, is it okay with you if we leave, Troy?", Taylor asks.

"Sure, go on, have fun. I'll be fine here. I'm sure Gabriella will be out soon."

Chad excitedly drags Taylor off to the dance floor.

Ten boring minutes later, Troy is wondering why he even came to this thing in the first place. He is staring idly at the street performers and noticing how much fun everyone is having, well everyone, but him. He looks over just in time to see Gabriella walking towards him. She seems to be looking for him, but he can't catch her eye, so he steps out of line to go get her.

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_Where is Ryan?_, thinks Sharpay. She hasn't seen him in almost two hours and it's already after eleven. They'd need to leave at 11:45 p.m. at the latest to make it home before Mother's curfew.

Suddenly, someone grabs her arm and starts to pull her towards the Voodoo tent. She's too stunned to say anything, especially when she looks up and sees Troy Bolton holding onto her arm like his life depends on it.

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"I'm so glad you made it back in time. We're next for the fortune teller. Let's go. Hey, I'm sorry...you still look a little pale, but it's hard to tell in this dim light, are you alright now?"

_He thinks I'm Gabriella. I should say something, but it feels so good to be this close to him. _ So instead, she just nods mutely and they go up to the entrance of the tent.

Suddenly, Violet Black seems to diffuse out of the darkness, her pale face, a startling contrast to the blackness surrounding her. "Stop", she announces in the stern voice. "There are rules to which you must agree, before entering Madame Gautreaux's presence. You are not allowed to speak, if you do, the spirits will refuse to talk to her. Do you agree?"

They both nod, as they are still too stunned with Violet's sudden appearance to say anything.

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They enter the darkened tent and have to stop immediately to allow their eyes to adjust to the dim light. Sharpay reaches instinctively for Troy's hand and he visibly relaxes as he takes it. There is a wizened old woman sitting on the opposite side of a small round table. She is completely still with her gnarled, wrinkled, liver-spotted hands lying flat on the surface of the table. The table top is empty except for a small cloth bag. Her eyes are closed and she appears to be mediating. The old woman is extremely wrinkled and her skin is paper-thin, making it appear translucent. Thin, white wisps of hair can be seen sticking out from under an elaborate, multi-colored hair wrap. She is wearing a plain black dress and there are no other adornments on her --- no jewelry, no rings.

Troy and Sharpay are startled out of their study of the fortune teller when her old eyes snap open quickly and she says in a strong voice, much incongruous to her elderly appearance.

"Entrez, mes chéris", she entreats. "Please take a seat. I have been awaiting you two all evening. It is rare to find two young people like you, who share such a strong love."

Sharpay and Troy immediately look up to meet each other's stares. Sharpay is disappointed at first to see such shock in his face, but then she remembers that he thinks that she's Gabriella. She relaxes somewhat and let's a small smile appear on her face. Troy looks even more shocked and confused.

"Before we start I need to tell you something. I am not a Voodoo priestess. This", she says, indicating the elaborate tent and her clothing, "is just trappings for the tourists. I am just an old woman who has a gift. A gift, that if I am to be completely honest, I have not used to it's fullest in a very long time. For the others I take this bag of fake chicken bones, dump them on the table and tell them what they want to hear. I will not do that with you. I do not need plastic bones to foretell your futures."

Taking a deep breath, she continues, "You have already marked each other with your signs of eternal devotion, but the road ahead will not be easy. You have both misunderstood what the other is doing. Neither of you has betrayed the other. It is all just miscommunication and half-truths. You need to talk together and everything will become clear."

Sharpay looks up to see Troy staring at her with a sudden realization in his eyes. They both reluctantly break their gazes and turn back to Madame Gautreaux.

"Your lives and your souls are already entwined forever, you just do not realize it yet. Many will try to stand in your way, but together you will be stronger that they. You must not allow yourselves to be separated." Then, raising her voice, she says emphatically, "Do you understand me? This is very important! You must not allow yourselves to be separated." With this, she releases a deep breath and sinks back into her seat, exhausted. "That is all I can tell you. The rest, you must discover for yourselves. Go, mes enfants, and be safe and have faith that happiness will find you."

Troy and Sharpay slowly rise and turn to leave. Troy opens the tent flap for Sharpay, but she stops suddenly and turns back to the fortune teller. "Thank you for everything", she whispers.

They lock hands as they exit the tent and are taken aback by the loud music and party whistles they hear. How had they not heard any of this noise while they were in the tent? Confetti is falling from the ceiling and everyone is ripping off their masks and flinging them into the air.

Facing each other, solemnly, they both slowly remove their masks at the same time while keeping their eyes locked together. Their masks drop unnoticed to the floor. Taking a deep breath, Troy takes a step towards Sharpay when Ryan suddenly appears between them.

TBC

A/N 1: Well, I finally got them back together, are did I? HAHA (she laughs evilly).

A/N 2: I have to credit forbiddenfiction for the whole prom night idea. Originally, I was going to make Sharpay stay home all night crying. It was forbidden's idea to incorporate the mask into a little mistaken identity; I just decided to twist it around a bit. Plus I didn't that to come up with two different prom dresses. Look on my profile for a link to the dress.

A/N 3: I never realized how hard it would be to write this silly little story. It was originally a pretty simple idea, but now I've have to put on a play (that's still coming up), come up with a prom theme, prom dance, plus learn how to read chicken bones... This is getting really complicated.


	12. Ch 11: I'll Never Turn my Back On

Unlove You

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

Summary: It was just supposed to be a practical joke, but something happens on the night of the Twinkle Town cast party that changes two lives forever. Not a songfic, but inspired by Ashley Tisdale's Unlove You on the Headstrong CD.

Pairing: TroyPay, of course.

Time frame: Same year as the movie, their junior year, right? Starts the final night of the musicale, say mid February.

Chapter 11: I'll Never Turn my Back On

_Facing each other, solemnly, they both slowly remove their masks at the same time while keeping their eyes locked together. Their masks drop unnoticed to the floor. Taking a deep breath, Troy takes a step towards Sharpay when Ryan suddenly appears between them._

"Sharpay, where have you been?!", Ryan shouts over the roar of the crowd, "It's after midnight, Mom's going to kill us. We've got to go now", he finishes as he grabs Sharpay's arm and starts to drag her away.

Sharpay immediately starts to struggle against him as he drags her out the door with Troy following close behind.

"No!", she shouts as she pulls away. By now, they are outside the gymnasium. "I'm not leaving, Ryan. I'm staying here."

"Are you insane? Do you know what she'll do to you if you don't come home with me now."

"I don't care anymore Ryan, don't you un..."

"Sharpay, wait", Troy interrupts calmly as he places a hand on her arm. "Getting in trouble with you mom isn't going to help us. Remember what the fortune teller said. We need to talk, okay?"

"Yes, you're right."

"Call me. My home number is in the book. Call me tomorrow, okay?"

"I will; I promise", she says as she reaches up and pecks him on his cheek.

"Sharpaaay...", Ryan whines.

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Troy walks back into the gymnasium with a smile on his face and a skip in his step.

Chad meets him near the girl's bathroom.

"Hey man, why are you looking so happy?", he asks.

"Why? Well, why not? We're young; we're healthy. We've got our whole lives ahead us. Life is wonderful, man", Troy raves ecstatically.

"Boy, what happened to you? An hour ago you looked miserable. By the way, where's Gabriella?"

"Gabri...Oh no, I forgot all about her. Is she okay?", Troy says in shock.

"How can you forget about your date on prom night?", Chad counters, disbelievingly.

Just then, Taylor walks up with a wobbly Gabriella.

"Eww girl, you reek", says Chad as he pinches his nose. Taylor gives him a disdainful look.

Even though Taylor had helped her clean up, Gabriella's beautiful dress was undeniably ruined and stained with vomit. She looks horrible with her hair in disarray and make-up smeared across her pale, sickly face.

"Gee, Gabriella, are you alright?", asks Troys with genuine concern in his voice as he avoids actually touching her.

"Ugh, I just want to go home now, okay?", Gabriella says miserably.

"Um sure, no problem. We'll take you straight home first and then I'll drop Chad and Taylor back off at the restaurant to get Chad's car."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrive at Gabriella's house with all the windows in the car rolled down because of Chad's constant complaining. He and Taylor are huddled together in the backseat due to the crisp night air. Troy dutifully jumps out of the car and runs around to open the door for Gabriella.

"I'm sorry you didn't have a very good time, Troy", Gabriella apologizes.

"Oh no, I was fine. Don't worry about me. I'm just sorry you got sick."

"I'll never drink anything alcoholic ever again for the rest of my life."

"Well, I'd better get back to the car...Chad and Taylor are waiting for me", Troy says awkwardly. "So...I guess I'll see you at school on Monday. Rest up tomorrow and you'll feel better."

"K,... bye."

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When Ryan pulls into the Evans' driveway, Judith is standing on the front porch waiting for them. He made it in record time and they were lucky to not get a speeding ticket, but 12:20 p.m. is still not midnight, no matter how you look at it.

They both quietly get out of the car and sheepishly walk up to their mother. She is standing there with her hand out, palm facing up. Waiting.

"Oh no,... pleease mom,", moans Ryan, "not my bling-bling. I just got it."

"Yes Ryan, your _bling...bling_...now", Judith says sternly.

Ryan reluctantly takes off his new Rolex watch, kisses it reverently and places it in his mother's hand. Sharpay has already placed her necklace back in its case when she was still in the car. _You don't live with this woman for your entire life without knowing what to expect._ She hands the jewelry case back to her mother and moves pass her to go into the house.

"Wait, Sharpay. Don't you have any sort of explanation for your faux pas tonight?"

"No Mother, I really don't. You wouldn't accept one anyway, so why should I bother? I'm going to bed now. I still need to get up early in the morning to go to Santa Fe or do I?", she questions.

"Of course you do. You'll get right back on track. And just so you know...you may use the car to drive to your drama class, but when you return, it is off-limits for one week. And I need your phones, now."

"Our...phones?", Ryan asks with open fear in his voice.

"Yes, I'll be keeping them for the week, also?"

"But, Mom...", he whines.

"Should I make it two weeks, Ryan?"

"No, ma'am", he grumbles as he goes inside.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Hello?"

"Troy? Is that you? Can you hear me?"

"Sharpay? Where are you? There's all sorts of noise in the background. I can barely hear you."

"I'm at a gas station on the corner of San Mateo and Osuna. Can you meet me here?"

"Uhm, yeah, of course I can. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you when you get here, but please hurry."

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Bye."

She hurries back over to her car and gets inside to wait. It's early on a Sunday morning and not many people are out yet --- just some early church goers and a few stray late night partiers.

Fifteen minutes later, Troy pulls his Toyota up beside Sharpay's BMW. She immediately rolls down her window and calls for him to get in.

"Can you stay with me for the whole day?", Sharpay asks anxiously.

"Yeah, sure. Why?", Troys asks as the closes the car door.

As soon as he says 'yeah', she rips the car into gear and speeds out onto the road.

"Whoa!", Troy shouts as he hastily buckles his seatbelt, "What's going on, Sharpay? Where are we going?"

"Sante Fe."

"Sante Fe?", he repeats, "Why?"

By now, they are speeding up I-25 towards the state's capitol.

"I'm sorry; I should have explained before. I have to go to my lesson with my drama coach today. She's in Sante Fe and I'm a little late and if I'm late, she'll call my mother to see what's wrong."

"So...why am I here?"

"Because I wanted to see you, silly. And we need to talk about last night."

"The fortune teller..."

"Yeah, the fortune teller. What she said about miscommunication and us not betraying each other. Is that true?"

"It is for one", he says with personal conviction.

"What's that supposed to mean?", she asks angrily as she pulls into the passing lane and hits 90 on the speedometer.

"Hey, don't get mad at me. It's what you said, remember? And don't you think you should slow down?" He grabs the 'panic bar' above the door and hangs on.

"Oh...I did say that, didn't I? But it wasn't true, I just said all the stuff because I was hurt when I say you and Gabriella..."

"Saw us, what?", he asks confused.

"I came over to your house the next day, that Monday", she clarifies, "and as I was about to knock on your front door, I heard a crash, so I went around behind the house and you and _her_ were lying on some blankets on the floor of your garage. You were telling her how it was all a mistake with me and wouldn't happen again and she was crying and...and then you started rubbing circles on her back just like you did when...when..."

It suddenly dawns on Troy what she is talking about.

"Pull over", Troy commands.

"Wha...?"

"I said _**pull over**_. We need to talk and you're going to get us killed driving like you are now."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Sharpay consents, "Okay."

She takes the next exit and pulls into the parking lot of a convenience store. Sharpay calmly puts the car in park, crosses her arms in a defensive gesture and turns to Troy.

"Okay, so talk", she demands.

"Right, first of all, I don't know what you heard, but Gabriella had just fallen out of the attic and I caught her and as we fell, these...these, well, blankets came tumbling out of this big box that had just fallen out of the attic with Gabriella. Then I thought she was crying, so I was trying to make her feel better, so I just started saying the first thing that came to my mind, to make her feel better, you know. Then it turns out she wasn't crying, but was just laughing. Well, I couldn't help it, I started laughing too. You've got to believe me, Sh..."

Before he can finish his sentence, Sharpay launches herself across the seat and jumps onto his lap. She wraps her arms around a stunned Troy.

"I'm so relieved", she says happily as she starts showering little kisses all over his face.

Troy confusedly pushes her away and asks, "You mean...you believe me?"

"Of course I do; no one could make up such a ridiculous lie, so it has to be the truth", and she starts kissing him again, more passionately this time.

He pushes her back once again.

"What about what you said the next day?"

"Oh, that", she says flippantly, "I lied." And she tries to kiss him again and he avoids her lips.

"That's it..._I lied_, and I'm just supposed to accept that?"

"Yes, you are", and then she takes a deep breath and sits back slightly. "Okay, I was hurt, really hurt, at what I heard. I'm not good at showing my true feelings. It's easier to hide behind my mask."

"Your _mask_?", he questions with a confused look on his face.

"You know what they all say, I'm the_ ice princess_, right?", Troy nods slowly to acknowledge her statement and feels ashamed that he had thought that about her too.

"Anyway", she continues, "I put up my mask and no one can hurt me, not the jealous girls at school, not the stupid jocks, no offense to you, though."

"None taken", he says with a smile.

"Not my demanding mother, especially not my demanding mother." And then it dawns on her,  
"Oh! My mother...Troy, we've got to leave now. Oh, now I'm definitely going to be late", Sharpay says in a panic as she hops back over to the driver's seat.

"Wait, let me drive and you can talk and neither of us will die", he suggests as he runs around the car and opens the driver's side door.

"Alright", she agrees and she crawls over to the passenger's side.

"What's the big deal about this lesson anyway?", Troy questions. _After all, it's not like missing a basketball practice or something really important like that,_ he thinks to himself.

"_What's the big deal?_ It's worst than if you missed one of your basketball practices. Besides, Mother is really pissed at us right now for being late last night."

"Yeah, about that...who has a curfew on prom night, that's just cold."

"That's just my mother... again. In order to get to go to the prom in the first place, I had to promise to take this make-up class today. And after last night, well, she hit the roof --- for her anyway. I mean she never yells, sometimes I wish she would. But she definitely lets us know when we're in trouble. No car, no phones for one week. I get to use the car today for the class, but after today, I'm hoofin' it."

"Man, that's ... I don't know what that's like. You were, what, thirty minutes late?", and then it dawns on him, "Hey, how come you're not dead from when we, um, stayed out all night?"

"Oh, just lucky I guess. She was trying out a new allergy med and it knocked her out, but that'll never happen again. Umm, so are we alright now? You and me, I mean? Because I _so _want us to be alright. I've been miserable since that day I said all those mean things to you."

"I have too...been miserable that is. But no, we're not alright", Sharpay heart sinks when she hears this and she's grateful she's not driving. "We're better than alright, we're perfect. Remember, _we've __marked each other with our signs of eternal devotion_", he says with an outrageous French accent.

Sharpay exhales the breath she was holding and counters with a smirk, "_Mais le parcours ne sera pas facile_."

"Uhhh?"

"_But zee road ahead will not be easy_, mon amant", Sharpay repeats in English with her own outrageous French accent.

"Ah, but _our lives and our souls are already entwined forever_...", Troy continues reciting the prophecy.

"_We just do not realize it yet_", they finish together, giggling.

Sobering up, Sharpay asks, "What'd she mean by that, anyway?"

"Don't know, all I know is I'm not going to be separated from you, because that didn't sound pleasant. Hey, which exit do I take?"

"Oh, I almost forgot...it's the next one and take a right at the light."

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"Comment ça va, ma cherie Sharpay?", Madame Dupree asks and then chastises kindly, "Vous être un peu de retard."

"Je m'excuse, Madame, et je suis bien, le plus de bien. La vie, c'est magnifique. Oh! Pardonnez-moi. Comment t'allez vous?", Sharpay flushes slightly, embarrassed that she forgot her manners. Madame is old-school and insists on proper etiquette.

"Comme çi, comme ça", the elderly French woman replies as she ushers Sharpay and Troy into her home. "Et qui est cela, Sharpay? Est-ce qu'il est la raison vous vous sentez si magnifiques ?"

She blushes brightly at this and replies in English, "Yes Madame, this is my friend, Troy, but please don't tell my mother. Please", she says again. She trusts Madame Dupree implicitly, but she doesn't want to make any incorrect assumptions.

"Ah, your mother...She called about half an hour ago to make sure you arrived safely."

"Oh no", Sharpay says in a panic as she starts pacing the floor.

Madame Dupree stops Sharpay's pacing by placing a gentle hand on Sharpay's shoulder.

"Do not worry yourself, child", Madame reassures her, "I told Judith you were just starting your voice exercises and could not be disturbed."

"Oh, Madame, you are an angel."

"So are you, Sharpay, and I do not think you deserve the distrust your mother has in you. Although we haven't known each other long, you are the most dedicated student I have had in many years...since your own mother, actually. I'm surprised she didn't pursue a career in the theater."

"Well, she met my dad when she was very young and decided to be a mom instead, I guess. She never really talks about her past", Sharpay trails off.

Turning to Troy, Madame Dupree says, "Forgive my rudeness, young man, and welcome to my home." Then pulling herself to her full height, she asks formally while extending her hand to him, "How do you do?"

"I am fine, ma'am", Troy replies as he shakes her hand. "And you, Madame?"

"I am old, but that is not what you want to hear, is it?" And to Sharpay, she says, "What a polite young man."

"Thank you Madam for everything, but isn't it time we started my lesson?"

"Is that really what you want to do, Sharpay? Wouldn't you rather spend the day with your young man, here?"

"Well...", Sharpay starts as she turns a deep red, "I...", and she thinks the offer over, but then logic kicks in, "What will we tell my mother?"

"Your lesson for today will consist of you calling your mother, which I told her you would do when you finished your voice exercises and convincing her that your class is going well, but that Madame Dupree has insisted you stay an extra hour,...no, make that two hours for additional work. If you can do that, you will have passed my improvisation exercise for today and you will be free to go."

Sharpay excitedly runs over to Madame and envelops her in a huge hug. Then, Sharpay goes directly to the phone and starts dialing.

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"Wow, I can't believe how convincing you were. You should be an actress", comments Troy as they get back into the car fifteen minutes later.

"I _am_ an actress, Troy", Sharpay says patronizingly.

"Oh yeah. Hey, what all was she asking you, anyway? You think she's suspicious or something?"

"She's always _suspicious or something_. It's in her nature."

"Man, that's cold." Then changing the subject, he says, "So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Just regular stuff, I guess. You know, how regular teenagers just hang out together. I mean, how I think they hang out together, since I've never really done that before."

"You've led a pretty sheltered life, haven't you?"

"You wouldn't believe it. I never even got to have playdates when I was little or sleepovers or anything. If I went to a sleepover party, I always had to be the nerdy one who left at 10:30."

"That's it!", Troy exclaims.

"You want to have a sleepover with me?", she asks suggestively.

"Well...", he seems to be thinking it over, "no. Unfortunately that's not what I'm talking about. We're going to have a playdate. Have you ever been to Chuckie Cheese's?"

"No, why?", then it dawns on her what he's suggesting, "Are you joking?"

"Nope."

TBC

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A/N 1: Anal research girl here. Yes, there is a gas station (it's a Conoco) near the intersection of San Mateo Blvd, NE and Osuna Rd, NE. It's right next to I-25 which Sharpay would use to get to Sante Fe.

A/N 2: Here's the translation for all that French stuff. Don't ask me. I got all this stuff from my magnifique French speaking friend.

"Comment ça va, ma cherie Sharpay?", Madame Dupree asks and then chastises kindly, "Vous être un peu de retard."

"Ah, Sharpay, my dear, how are you today?", Madame Dupree asks and then chastises kindly, "You are a little late."

"Je m'excuse, Madame et je suis bien, le plus de bien. La vie, c'est magnifique. Oh! Pardonnez-moi. Comment t'allez vous?", Sharpay flushes slightly, embarrassed that she forgot her manners. Madame is old-school and insists on proper etiquette.

"My apologies, Madame and I am well, better than well. I feel wonderful. Oh, I'm sorry and how are you?", Sharpay flushes slightly, embarrassed that she forgot her manners. Madame is old-school and insists on proper etiquette.

"Comme çi, comme ça", the elderly French woman replies as she ushers Sharpay and Troy into her home. "Et qui est cela, Sharpay? Est-ce qu'il est la raison vous vous sentez si magnifiques ?"

"So-so", the elderly French woman replies as she ushers Sharpay and Troy into her home. "And who is this, Sharpay? Is he the reason you feel so _wonderful_?"

A/N 2: Don't know if anyone's noticed but me, but I like to use the same phrases over again in different scenes. Like here at the end, when Troy suggests going to CC's, Sharpay asks, "Are you joking?" and Troy replies, "Nope." That's the exact same lines they said when he suggested they get tattoos way back in Chapter 5.


	13. Ch 12: Someone Who Loves Me Too

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer:The Mouse owns High School Musical and the characters within. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

See Author note 1 at the end about Chuck E. Cheese's if you need to understand what it is before you start reading.

This chapter was really fun to write. If you like it, please tell me. If you don't, well, tell me that too, just be gentle.

**Chapter 11: Someone Who Loves Me Too**

"That's the most fun I've ever had", Sharpay squeals with excitement and twirls around in a circle as she and Troy walk out of Chuck E. Cheese's and towards Sharpay's car.

She straightens up and starts walking next to Troy. Sharpay is playing with her favorite prize, a Chinese yo yo, lazily flicking it out and back, seemingly mesmerized by the simple rolled-up paper toy on a stick. Troy, meanwhile, is stumbling along beside her trying to juggle a huge blow-up squeaky hammer, three stuffed animals and a plastic bag of half-eaten cotton candy.

"I still don't understand how you got all this stuff. All I could afford was that silly Chinese yo yo thing and you stole it from me", Troy moans as he drops the hammer with a loud squeak next to the car.

"Beginner's luck, I suppose", Sharpay comments casually. "I can't believe you took over for that lame party hostess and sang with all those little kids", she says excitedly as she turns to face Troy and starts singing. "I say HAPPY", as she points to herself, "You say BIRTHDAY", as she points to Troy, then she loudly shouts as she points back to herself, "HAPPY", then she points back to Troy.

"Birthday", he groans slowly. "I think I strained something in there."

"Well, you sure made that ten-year old birthday girl very happy."

"Yeah", he says smugly, "I think she was crushin' on me."

"Aren't we all, Bolton; aren't we all", Sharpay says slowly and seductively as she takes the rest of Troy's burdens and throws them in the backseat. Then she steps up to him and wraps her arms around his waist as he looks down at her for a kiss. He opens his mouth at her probing tongue and moans happily. They continue on for several more minutes before he reluctantly pulls away and places his forehead on hers.

"Hey, we need to get you home, remember? You don't want to be late."

"Oh, why do you have to suddenly start acting like the responsible adult?", she pouts.

"Someone has to, because you're too busy going through your second childhood."

"First childhood, remember?", she says, reminding him that she's never been allowed to do all the things normal kids do.

"Yeah", he whispers to her, "and I'm going to try to make it up to you, okay?", he pulls back from her and then leans down to kiss her gently on the lips.

They break apart and get into the car with Troy driving.

"I'm so sorry I messed up before and didn't wait to hear your explanation."

"No, don't", he says soothingly as he places his finger on her lips to stop her. "I've got things to be sorry about too, but we shouldn't waste our time together worrying about that other stuff."

"Yeah, like Gabriella, for instance", Sharpay comments with a glint in her eye.

"Uhm, yeah, 'bout that", Troy starts sheepishly, "I was sort of pressured into that by, um, outside interests." He pulls the car out of the parking lot and heads out onto the road.

"_Outside interests_, uh? Is this _outside interest_ named Chad?"

"He's one of them. Ryan is another."

"Ryan?? What did he do?", Sharpay says angrily.

"Probably the same thing I would have done if you were my sister."

"Well, thank goodness I'm not because that would be incest and that's just eeeww", she says in disgust.

Troy can't help but smile; even in the middle of the most serious conversations, she injects humor at just the right spot.

"What I don't understand is where Gabriella fits into this", Sharpay continues. "She knew way more about me than she should have... Ryan! I'm going to kill him."

"Leave something for me, okay?"

"I don't want to talk about him anymore", as she finishes this statement, she reaches over and turns on the CD player and quickly changes it to her favorite song and starts to sing along.

"_Ahhh_

_Boy walkin' the spot he so fresh and_

_He got what he needs impressin'_

_Just look at the way that he dressin'_

_Ain't no question chicks like oh_"

"Oh no, no, no!", Troy says as he tries to reach over to turn off the music. "I am so _not_ going to listen to this. Who is that, anyway?"

Sharpay slaps his hand away from the knob. "It's Ashley Tisdale. I just love her; don't you watch _The Suite Life_?"

"Noooo", he says incredulously, "remember I'm the one who has a life. I'm not sitting at home on Friday nights watching the Disney Channel."

Sharpay gets a suspicious glint in her eye. "Then, how do you know when it comes on?"

"I...I...um...I saw it in the TV listings somewhere, I guess", he defends himself weakly.

"Uh uhm."

"Besides, that's chick music."

"It's fun music. Give it a chance. I gave your music a chance, remember?", she says with a smile referring to their duet of _Bohemian Rhapsody._

"Welll..."

"I'll start it from the beginning."

"Ug."

"Oh, now you're going caveman on me."

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"Well...?", Sharpay asks as they pull into the service station and Troy parks Sharpay's BMW next to his Toyota.

"Okay...it's not so bad", he admits reluctantly. He is referring to the Headstrong CD that Sharpay has just forced him to hear. "Everything except that _Unlove You_ song, I mean how depressing can you get. Nobody's life can be that bad. But I like all the more upbeat ones, especially that one that sounds Egyptian in the beginning,...about the girl in the club. I picture her looking just like you."

"So you've been... _checkin' my style_?", she says with a smirk.

"All the time."

"That one's called _Not Like That. _ _Unlove You_ used to be my favorite, but lately I just find it too depressing. Too much like my real life, actually."

"Not anymore", he says as he reaches over to squeeze her hand. "Well...I guess I should be going..."

"Yeah,...oh, you have to take all this stuff with you", she says, referring to the prizes in the backseat.

"What? But you earned all these", Troy reminds her with a pouty look on his face.

"True, but my mother can't see any of this."

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right. Look, I'll keep them for you, but it won't be like this forever and then I'll give them back to you. I mean once we tell everyone we're dating I can give them back, right?"

"No! Troy, we can't tell anyone about us! You don't know my mother, if she finds out...I don't know, she'd probably send me to a convent or something."

"But I want to tell everyone. I want to shout my love for you from the highest mountain peak, burst into song in the middle of the cafeteria, and... and lots of other mushy stuff like that."

Sharpay just starts giggling uncontrollably. "How ridiculous. Can you just imagine it --- bursting into song in the middle of the cafeteria?", she says between giggles, "Next we'll be putting on a big finale in the gym with all our friends singing in a chorus line." She quickly becomes somber again. "But seriously, no one can find out, Troy. Not yet. And I don't know when. Can you deal with that? Am I really worth it?", she asks as her insecurities surface.

"You're more than worth it; you have to believe me", he says sincerely as he reaches over to cup her chin and leans in for a sweet, tender kiss.

"Hey, we've still got tomorrow, right?", asks Sharpay.

"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?"

"The auditions, silly. What part are you trying out for?"

"Oh, I'd forgotten all about that. I don't know...Birdie, I guess. Can't you just see me as the Elvis Presley type?"

"Oooo, those gyrating hips?", she says as she wiggles her brows. "But that's not really a good idea. Haven't you read the script?" He shakes his head, no, and she continues. "Conrad Birdie doesn't get the girl in the end. Her boyfriend punches him out right before the kiss. Oh, oh, oh... I'm a genius. _Ryan_ should be Conrad, then you get to hit him right on stage, plus all the rehearsals and then you get the girl,... me", she finishes with a bright smile on her face.

"Pretty confident, uh?"

"Yep, I'm highly motivated. I'm not going to fail this time. Besides, Gabriella doesn't have you to carry her through those auditions, so I'm a given."

"I love you, Shar", he says and then, his eyes widen in horror as he realizes what he called her. He still vividly remembers how she yelled at him when he called her 'Shar' the last time.

"What?...What's wrong, you look like you just saw a ghost?", she asks, confused.

"I'm sorry. It's just slipped out. I didn't mean to call you that, I swear", he says earnestly.

"Call me what?", then she understands and a deep guilt overcomes her. "Oh Troy, I'm the one who's sorry. Please call me Shar. Call me anything you want. I...I...care for you,... deeply and I'm sorry, again, that I said those things to you." She mentally slaps herself for what she said, or rather couldn't say. She still can't bring herself to say the 'L' word to him. Sixteen years of Judith's continual denigrating of every male in the universe (except for Ryan) has definitely left its scars on her.

"It's okay and we're through with the apologizing. Understand?", she nods and he suddenly remembers something. "Oh, here. This, you can take and hide in a safe place." And he pulls a folded sheet of paper out of his wallet. Sharpay takes it from him and unfolds it to reveal the picture they took together at the photograph sketch booth in Chuck E. Cheese.

"This is terrific. You are so cute. I only wish it was in color so I could see those gorgeous baby blues of yours."

"Or your deep, smoldering brown ones...", he drifts off as they gaze into each others eyes.

"Now who's making me late", Sharpay says as she pulls away. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

"I wish I could give you a ride."

"Me too. We'll figure something out. Soon."

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"Perhaps I was too punitive."

"Oh Mom, you're wonderful. I love you so much."

Sharpay hears this as she walks into the house through the kitchen entrance.

_Whoa, that sounds like my mother admitting that she was too harsh. And Ryan telling Mother that she's wonderful. That can't be right. Dang, I walked into the wrong house. _ But nope, this is definitely their kitchen, so maybe it's an alternate reality or something.

Judith walks towards the refrigerator and notices Sharpay standing in the middle of the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face.

"Oh Sharpay, you're home. How was your lesson?"

Shaken out of her trance, she replies smoothly, "It was great, Mother. Madame Dupree is a genius." Then she adds, "and _so_ creative", hidden meaning and all.

"I know dear. I felt the same way about her when she was my teacher."

"Um, what's Ryan so excited about?"

Hearing his name, he walks into the kitchen to see Sharpay standing in the middle of the room and Judith searching in the refrigerator for something to prepare for dinner.

"Oh Mother decided to rescind some of her punishment. I'm still grounded for the week, but I get the car and more importantly, my watch back", Ryan says as he flashes his Rolex at Sharpay.

"Oh!", Sharpay says excitedly, "that's wonderful! We get the car back? How 'bout the phones?"

"No, Sharpay", clarifies Judith as she looks up from the refrigerator, "you don't understand. _Ryan_ gets the car, _his_ watch and _his _phone back, not you."

"But...", Sharpay starts, but Judith continues on, ignoring her.

"Ryan explained that he was looking for you last night and couldn't find you. Therefore, it was you alone who caused the both of you to be late."

"Yeah Shar, I told Mom how you were talking to that Montez girl in the girl's bathroom for so long and since I couldn't go in to get you, we were late", Ryan adds.

"Is that true, Sharpay? That your irresponsibility caused you to be late?"

Ryan is standing behind Judith, smirking smugly.

Knowing that she has no choice but to go along with his story, she whispers, "Yes Mother, it was all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Ryan...Now, Sharpay", Judith commands.

It's just like when they were little kids. Mother always took his side and Sharpay had to be the one to apologize first.

"I'm sorry, Ryan."

"No prob, Shar. I'm just glad we got it all worked out before my big date."

"_Big date_? What big date?"

"I've got a date this Friday night with Mitzi Giesler."

"Mitzi Giesler? That cheerleader? Hey wait a minute...Since when are we allowed to date?"

"_We_ aren't, Sharpay...just me."

"But Mother, that's not fair. Why does Ryan get to date when I don't", Sharpay whines to her mother.

"Because he's a boy and sixteen is too young for a girl to start dating", Judith states simply.

"Who do you think he's going to be dating, a blow-up doll?", Sharpay shouts at her mother.

"That will be enough, Sharpay. Go to your room!", Judith shouts back at her.

As Sharpay runs from the kitchen, she hears Ryan say, "Oh and Mitzi's seventeen, by the way."

TBC

It's a little short, but seemed like a good place to stop.

A/N 1: For all those folks who are not from the US or Canada, Chuck E. Cheese's is "Where a Kid Can Be a Kid". Oh, and it's spelled "Chuck E. Cheese", but when you say it, it sounds like "Chuckie Cheese", so that's why I wrote it like that when they're talking. Anyway, back to the description. It's hard to describe. It's all in one building, it's not like an outdoor amusement park. They serve food, but it's more than a restaurant. They have video games, small games like skee ball, small basketball hoops, small rides, tubes to crawl through, ball pit (they might have gotten rid of those), etc. They also have those machines where you can have a computer take your picture and draw it like a pencil artwork, which is what Troy and Sharpay did. You win tickets for playing the games which can then be traded in for prizes at the prize counter. The prizes are usually worthless pieces of junk that you lose in a day, but kids love it. The biggest draw, however, is Chuck E. Cheese, himself, he's a giant (6+ ft) mouse --- actually some poor guy in a costume. He comes out during birthday parties. Yes, you can have your birthday party here. There's also a stage and mechanical Chuckie and his friends 'wake-up' occasionally to entertain the kids with songs. A party hostess really does sing this irritating song, "I say Happy, You Say Birthday". We have lots of little kids in my family and I have been to way too many of these parties. Oh, and 10 years old would probably be too old to go to CC's for your birthday, but can't you just imagine to thrill of having Zac Efron sing Happy Birthday to you.

A/N 2: FYI, the first song they listen to is, of course, He Said, She Said.


	14. Ch 13: Someone Who Loves Me Too

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 13: Someone Who Loves Me Too**

"Hey Sharpay, you'd better get moving since the bus will be here soon", Ryan smirks as he walks into the kitchen. He is still wearing his pajamas and he lazily scratches his stomach as he opens the refrigerator to get out the orange juice. The bus arrives thirty minutes earlier than when they have to leave to drive themselves. It was just another dimension to Judith's punishment.

Sharpay has just finished her light breakfast and is about to leave the kitchen. "I'll be ready, Ryan. You should worry about yourself. Have you checked the gas in the Beemer? It might be a _little _low", she returns his smirk as she skips out of the room. _We'll see who's late._

Ryan just looks up at her with a confused look on his face, clearly not understanding her implications.

An hour later, Sharpay is sitting in homeroom powdering her nose with her makeup compact. Actually, she's using the mirror to look at Troy who is sitting three seats behind her. He's pretending to read a book, but he's actually watching her, watching him. She sees him crack a smile. Next, the final bell rings just as Mrs. Darbus walks through the door.

"Oh!", she exclaims when someone rudely bumps her from behind. She slowly turns around to see Ryan Evans standing sheepishly looking down at his shoes.

"Sorry, Mrs. Darbus", he mumbles and then tries to scoot past her.

"Stop right there, Mr. Evans. Where's your tardy slip?", growls Mrs. Darbus.

"I...um...I thought I didn't need one ma'am", he stutters, "I thought I'd make it in time."

"Well, you were wrong, young man. Go back to the office and pick up your slip. And, of course, I'll be seeing you in detention after school. Is that clear, Ryan?"

"Crystal, ma'am."

"No smart mouth, Mr. Evans."

Ryan skulks out of the room and the class starts murmuring amongst themselves.

"Will Mr. Evans have company today in detention?", Mrs. Darbus asks the class.

The entire class quietens immediately.

"Good. Now, I have a few announcements. First and most importantly, auditions for the Spring musicale, **Bye, Bye Birdie** will be held today during free period in the auditorium. The rest of these announcements, well, they're not really worth mentioning. I'll post them outside the class if you want to know."

Ryan finally makes it back into class five seconds before the bell rings for first period. As Troy is trying to catch up with Sharpay, Gabriella is trying to catch up with Troy. She is back to her natural brunette hair color now and looks much better then when Troy saw her last.

"Troy, can I walk with you to class? I wanted to talk", she says shyly.

Troy looks to Sharpay nervously, but she just discreetly nods to Troy, signaling that it's fine with her.

"Sure, I'm going to math now."

"Oh good, my first period is chemistry so we're headed in the same direction."

"What's up?", he asks as they walk along.

"Could we meet after school today? We need to talk."

"Um, sure,...I suppose."

"Would you mind giving me a ride home and we could talk, then?"

"Okay, I'll give you a ride."

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Free period comes quickly and Mrs. Darbus once again has to listen to her share of 'blights to the name of the theater' as many, many wannabes audition for various spots in the cast. Finally, everyone has sang except Troy, Sharpay, Gabriella and Ryan. Unlike at the audition for Twinkle Towne, Ryan and Sharpay are not sitting together. Sharpay is sitting next to Kelsi who is the stage manager for this play. Troy is sitting on Kelsi's other side. Ryan is sitting on the front row, surprisingly next to Gabriella. Another change is that the students are allowed to pick their own songs for the audition.

Gabriella goes first and sings a passable version of 'How Lovely To Be A Woman' for the role of Kim McAfee, but she was extremely nervous and it shows during her song because of her shaking voice. Ryan is actually quite good with his rendition of Conrad Birdie's 'Last Kiss'.

Sharpay sings Kim McAfee's, 'One Boy' which she unabashedly sings directly to Troy.

_One boy, one special boy,_

_One boy to be with forever and ever._

Troy has to put his hand in front of his face to hide his smile.

Troy sings 'You'll Always Be the One for Me' for his role of Hugo Peabody, Kim McAfee's boyfriend. Sharpay was blushing slightly by the end of the song. Neither of them notices that Gabriella is mentally connecting the line of sight that Troy is directing to Sharpay. Her eyes narrow in suspicious.

At the end of Troy's song, Mrs. Darbus rises to her feet and announces, "Thank you all for participating. The results of the audition will be posted in the lobby tomorrow."

"Wow Ryan, you were really good. I just know you'll get the Conrad role", Gabriella tells Ryan honestly.

"Well thanks, Gabriella and I'm sure you'll get the Kim part too."

"Oh, I don't know. Sharpay was really good."

"I don't think so. I thought she was little stiff."

They continue talking together as they leave.

"You were terrific, Troy", Kelsi gushes as she, Troy and Sharpay walk out of the auditorium together.

"Oh yes, you were terrific, Troy", Sharpay echoes in a sarcastically sweet voice. Then she resumes in her normal voice, "Seriously, you were very good. You're a shoe-in for the boyfriend role."

"Well, I think you're going to be a great Kim McAfee", Troy says, while inwardly his heart is pounding being this close without being able to touch her.

"Hey, I just realized something. If you both get those roles, you'll have to kiss each other", Kelsi states in distaste.

"What's the big deal?", asks Troy.

"Well, you hate each other, don't you?", Kelsi asks.

"No", says Troy. While at the same time, Sharpay says,

"Yes", as she gives him a meaningful look.

"Well, maybe a little", concedes Troy.

"That's what I thought. I've got to go", Kelsi leaves.

"What was that all about?", Troy asks Sharpay when they are alone.

"Well, if we hate each other, then no one will suspect anything."

"I suppose, but pretending to hate you is very different than just not telling anyone we're dating."

"I know", she says smugly, "I'm brilliant."

She walks off and leaves Troy standing there confused.

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Gabriella joins Troy in his car after school.

"Hey, you did really good at the audition, Gabriella", Troy says as he pulls out onto the road.

"Thanks, you were good too. I know you'll get the part."

"Well, maybe you will too", inwardly he didn't want her to get the part, of course, but he couldn't help but be polite.

"I don't think so, Sharpay was much better than me, maybe I'll get one of the smaller roles."

"Whatever role you get you'll do fine, I'm sure", he says politely, "So what did you want to talk about, anyway. What's up?"

"That's what I want to know, Troy."

"Huh?"

"I don't understand where I stand with you. Sometimes I think you like me, then sometimes you don't. You ask me to the prom, but you didn't really seem like you even wanted to do that. I was sick all night Saturday, but you didn't even bother to call to find out if I was alright. I called your house yesterday and your dad told me he thought you were with me. So I really need to know, where exactly do I stand with you; I think I deserve an honest answer."

"You're right, you do. You're a nice girl and I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to have a relationship right now.

There is silence for a few seconds as Gabriella waits for him to continue, then she realizes he isn't going to say anything else.

"What about Sharpay?", Gabriella plunges ahead.

"Sharpay? What about her?", Troy's voice squeaks.

"I saw how you were singing that song, directly to her. I'm not an idiot, Troy. Ryan wants me to help keep the two of you apart, so what's to keep apart?", Gabriella questions.

"I can't really talk about it, Gabriella. You just have to trust me."

"Well, I'll wait for awhile, but eventually, I want an explanation."

The rest of the ride is eerily quiet. Troy lets Gabriella off at her house and drives on home. He wishes he could call Sharpay and let her know about this latest development, but he knows he can't, so he just goes in the house for his standard snack time. What happens when he gets inside makes him wish he had after school detention.

"Jack, stop that. It's very distracting. I'm trying to pay the bills."

Troy walks quietly into the kitchen to see his mom sitting at the kitchen table with the checkbook out and several stacks of envelopes on the table. But Troy doesn't notice any of this. Instead, his eyes are glued to what his dad is doing.

"Oh, you mean I'm distracting you by doing this", Dad says as he kisses the side of his mom's neck, but what really shocks Troy is what his dad's hand is doing. His left hand is under her shirt caressing her breast and his other hand ... his other hand is lower and, luckily for Troy, blocked by the table. But if he can judge by his mom's moans, he knows exactly what his dad is doing to her.

"Ewww", thinks Troy.

His mom's reaction speed is worthy of an NBA All-Star. She quickly pushes his dad back away from her and jumps to her feet only to be mortified and quickly turn around when she realizes her pants are unzipped.

"Did I say that out loud?", Troy mumbles.

"Oh Troy, son, didn't hear you come in. I thought you had those...um...auditions today", Jack Bolton says as he nervously runs his hand through his hair.

Lisa, by this time, has corrected her 'costume malfunction' and turns back around to greet Troy with a forced smile and a beet-red face.

"Those were during free period, Dad."

Lisa shoots Jack an evil look.

"Well, I'm just going to go to my room now, where I'll be doing my homework and listening to my music...really loud...with the door closed", Troy continues and quickly exits the room. He didn't even stop for that snack since his appetite was suddenly gone.

Troy has been 'studying' for about an hour when his cell phone rings. It's Chad.

"Chad dude, what's up?"

"What's up? What's up is you got me messed up with Taylor, that's what's up", Chad says in a raised voice.

"What are you talking about?", Troy asks, confused.

"I just got off the phone with Taylor and she spent the last half hour chewing me out over what you did. That's what I'm talking about."

"Uh?"

"My best friend dumped my girlfriend's best friend so that somehow makes me culpable, at least I think that's the word she used. What did you do, man?", Chad demands.

"Well, she's the one who started it", and then realizing how lame that sounds, continues, "Look, Sharpay and I ... talked. We got everything settled ... between us, that is. But we can't tell anyone. She's got this uber wacked-out mom who won't let her date", Troy starts to explain.

"Ahem", Chad guffaws, "Dude, you too have done a lot more than 'date'."

"Don't start with that, Chad. You, of all people, shouldn't be talking about that."

"Yeah, you're right; but hey, if it's what brought you two together, then you should really be thanking me", Chad finishes, smugly.

"Chad...", Troy says in a warning tone. "Anyway, Gabriella did bring it up first and I told her that I wasn't ready for a relationship. Then, she asked me about Sharpay --- nearly scared the shit out of me. She noticed something between us at the auditions, but she promised not to say anything."

"Alright man, then I'll do the same thing. I promised I'd support you when this whole thing started. I just hope you know what you're doing."

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It's the next day at school and Troy and Sharpay are walking down the hall seemingly ignoring each other as they both end up in front of the drama club bulletin board.

Sharpay quickly scans the list looking for her and Troy's name.

"Yea!", she exclaims as she turns around and starts jumping up and down excitedly while holding onto Troy's shoulders. "We got it; we got the leads", then without thinking, she pulls him down for a kiss.

Troy quickly takes charge of the kiss and pulls her closer to him. Luckily, the hallway is empty, but then around the corner comes Chad followed closely by three more basketball teammates. Chad clearly sees Troy and Sharpay in a lip lock, but his quick thinking saves the day.

"Hey dude, I forgot my math book in my locker.", Chad says loudly as he turns quickly and runs into the first guy behind him, knocking him to the floor. "Oh, Sven , sorry man. Let me help you up."

When Troy and Sharpay hear all the noise that Chad makes, they jump apart as if struck by lightening.

Coming to her senses first, Sharpay says loudly with an air of superiority, "Congratulations Bolton, I know working with me with be your greatest thrill ever."

In a much lower voice that no one else can hear, Troy whispers, "You are always my greatest thrill."

Her eyes widen in surprise at his brashness and she temporarily loses her ice princess attitude. "Well, I'm ... ah ... just going to class now." She turns in the opposite direction from Chad and the gang and walks away.

Troy walks over to his friends. Chad is still, supposedly, helping Sven by vigorously wiping invisible dirt off his shirt and actually causing him to fall again before it's all over.

"Um, hi guys, how's it going? You okay, Sven?", Troy asks with feigned concern, trying not to grin.

"I would be, if Chad would stop trying to help me", Sven laments as he is finally allowed to get up on his own.

"So...you were looking at the drama club board. What's up?", Chad asks as he and Troy walk away from the group towards the board.

"We got the leads", Troy states simply. "Um, I mean I got the lead and I ... um ... I think Sharpay did too."

"Cut it out, man. I'm your best friend, remember? I just got multi-bruises on my person by slamming into Sven 'too-tall' Olsen there. He must weigh, like, 230 pounds. And I did that for you."

"Yeah, I noticed. Thanks man. I owe you. We ... um ... got a little carried away, I guess."

"Uh, humm, well, you two better be a lot more careful or the whole school is going to find out."

"We'll try. It's just hard, you know?"

"I know that; but just understand, I don't intend on slamming into anymore Swedish giants for you anytime soon."

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It turns out that Ryan has won the role of Conrad Birdie and Gabriella is Rose Alvarez, Conrad's manager's girlfriend. Rehearsals are set to start on Friday after school.

Mrs. Darbus hands out the sheet music and everyone runs through their songs a couple of times. It's a casual atmosphere and everyone is very relaxed. At the end, Troy and Sharpay are sitting on the edge of the stage, talking through some of their lines.

Lowering her voice, Sharpay says to Troy, "Want to come up to Sante Fe with me tomorrow?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. I could pick you up at your hose, if you want?"

"That's be fine. I'd...um...like for you to meet my mom."

"Your mom? Is that a good idea?"

"Yeah, she's cool. She already knows a little something about you. She, sort of , saw the tattoo."

"Oh!", Sharpay exclaims loudly and then immediately lowers her voice. "You didn't get in trouble?", she asks with worry in her voice.

"Naw, she's tight. Now, my dad...that would be another story, but he'll be playing golf in the morning."

"Okay, then I can spare a few minutes before we have to hit the road."

Suddenly, Mrs. Darbus claps her hands to get everyone attention. "Alright people! That will be all for today. We're off to a good start, congratulate yourselves. I'll see you back here Monday after school."

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"So, I'm finally going to meet Sharpay?", Lisa comments to Troy as they are sitting at the kitchen table on Saturday morning.

"Yeah Mom, but you have to promise me that you won't try to psycho-analyze her."

"Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior."

"Good, because she's really special to me."

Just then, the bell rings on the front door and Troy jumps up with a smile on his face.

"That must be her. I'll get it", Troy says as he runs off to answer the door.

Troy opens the front door to find Sharpay standing there wearing a cute pink mini-skirt, but not too short, and a white cotton blouse. The short skirt accentuates her long legs and she is wearing low sling white sandals. She is wearing light make-up and some pink lip gloss. Sharpay is obviously dressed to impress Troy's mom, but she still looks stunning. Troy is just standing there awkwardly staring at her.

"You must be Sharpay; I'm Troy's mom. Please come in", Lisa says as she pulls Sharpay into the house and past Troy.

"Hi, Mrs. Bolton."

"Oh please call me Lisa. I've looked forward to meeting you for a long time now", Lisa notices the trepidation in Sharpay's face and reassures her, "Oh honey, I've seen Troy come alive this past week, so there's absolutely nothing for you to worry about. You know before you two made up, he was barely sleeping enough to keep going."

"I know just how he feels. I wasn't sleeping well either and now I can't seem to get enough sleep."

"Troy", Lisa calls to her son, "don't stand there like a lump, come join us."

"Oh, sure Mom. Sorry about that", Troy says as he joins them on the sofa in the living room with Sharpay sitting between the two Boltons. Troy reaches over to clasp Sharpay's hand and she takes it thankfully.

"Well,...Sharpay. Tell me a little about yourself", Lisa asks innocently.

"Mom!?!", Troy shouts, "no inquisitions, you promised."

"I promised 'no psycho-analyzing'. I never said I wasn't allowed to get to know her. It's just that until a little over a month ago, I'd never heard of you", she says to Sharpay, "until I read you name on ..."

"Mom!", Troy shouts again, "maybe, we should just be going now, Sharpay."

"Alright, alright. I'll be good."

"It's okay, Mrs...Lisa. Well...", answering Lisa's question, she says, "I'm really into the drama club. I try to do all the school plays and I have", and she glances over at Troy as she says, "_until the last one_."

Troy just gives her a sheepish look.

"Yes, we don't get a chance to see many of the plays the school does, we're too wrapped up in sports; but we saw Twinkle Towne. It was very good, but poor Gabriella looked like she was going to pass out every time she came on stage. I thought Troy was excellent, but I'm just prejudiced, I guess", Lisa says with pride.

"Oh, no. You're right, Troy was fantastic. He really carried that show; I've told him so", Sharpay beams at Troy.

"And we'll be in the next play together, right Shar?", Troy asks.

"Yep, it's going to be great."

"So a Drama Queen and a Jock...things certainly have changed since I was in school", Lisa starts. "We were all so caught up in our cliques that you two would have never even talked to each other."

"We almost didn't.", Troy says as he squeezes Sharpay's hand.

"Yeah", Sharpay sighs, "if it hadn't been if that party and ..." Sharpay's eyes widen as she realizes she had better stop talking before she says too much.

"And the tattoos?", finishes Lisa (although, that's not what Sharpay was going to say).

"Uhm...yeah. 'Bout that...", Sharpay flounders.

"No need to say more. I caught a glimpse of Troy's and it's in good taste, so I assume yours is also. Maybe one of these days you'll let me see it, since I have the feeling you're going to be around for quite awhile", as Lisa finishes, she pulls Sharpay in for a gentle hug.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Well, we'd better get going. We don't want Sharpay to be late for her class."

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As they get settled in the car, Sharpay comments sincerely, "Wow Troy, your mom _is_ so nice."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool. We have a pretty good relationship."

As Sharpay pulls the car out onto the road, they continue their conversation.

"I wish I had that kind of relationship with my mom", laments Sharpay.

"Yeah, well, your mom is, ah, different", Troy says flatly.

"You said it."

"So why do you do it all? I mean...you do everything she wants you to do. Why?"

"Well, she's my mom; that's what I'm supposed to do, isn't it?", before waiting for him to respond, she continues, "And besides, I do really like drama and performing. I mean there's nothing like the feeling I get when I'm in front of an audience and they're there to see me. I feel more love and support from those strangers than from my own family."

"I'm sorry, babe", Troy says as he reaches over to hold her right hand. "Well, I'm going to make up for all that now, okay?", he says as his thumb rubs gentle, soothing circles around on her hand. "I love you, you know?"

"Yeah, and I...", Sharpay starts.

"Hey, watch the road!", Troy shouts as he grabs the wheel to pull the car back into their lane. The wail of the car horns from the opposite direction shakes them both.

"Wow, that was scary", Sharpay says as she takes a deep breath.

"Yeah", Troy agrees as he exhales the breath he's been holding.

Sharpay starts quietly giggling.

"What's so funny?", Troy asks warily.

"I just had a thought of how pissed my mother would be if I got into an accident", she explains breathlessly, through her laughter. "I mean it would totally screw up her _plan_." As Sharpay says 'plan', she draws quotation marks in the air, then quickly grabs back onto the wheel.

"What _plan_?", Troy copies her air quotes gesture.

"Oh! That's my whole reason for being. And Ryan too, but to a lesser extent.", she adds, as an afterthought. "We take all these classes, learn all these instruments, star in all these school productions, go to all these drama camps, so that finally after eighteen years of training, we'll be accepted into _The Julliard School._" When Sharpay says 'The Julliard School' her voice becomes very nasal and haughty.

Troy lets out a long, slow whistle, "Wow, Julliard. Even I've heard of that school."

"My caveman", she says patronizingly as the pats him on the head.

"Ug", he replies, mock-broodingly.

"Anyway, the next big step is the drama camp this summer in New York City. It's a six week long resident camp --- six weeks with no Mother. We've already been accepted; there's just some minor paperwork left --- like my physical. That's next week."

"Physical?", Troy asks with actual fear in his voice.

"What's the matter, Bolton? You afraid of a little old doctor?", she says in a fake, childlike voice.

"I hate doctors", moans Troy, "I was sick a lot when I was a kid, so I _really_ hate doctors." Then changing the subject, he says, excitedly, "New York City, huh? My aunt lives there. Maybe I could visit her while you're there and we could hook up."

"That'd be fantastic. My summer just took a turn for the better."

By now, they were on the interstate headed North. Troy reaches in his backpack and pulls out a CD.

"What's that?", Sharpay asks suspiciously.

"Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits", Troy replies.

Sharpay elegantly raises an eyebrow and says to him, "And what do you think you're going to do with that in my car?"

"Well, we listened to your tunes last week, so I thought we'd listen to mine this week."

"Don't think so, Bolton. My car...my music", she says flatly.

"But that's not fa..."

Sharpay interrupts him with a grin as she yells, "PSYCH!". Then she starts giggling uncontrollably and almost loses control of the car, again.

"Oh, I can't believe you did that. That's so middle school. I also can't believe I fell for that."

They share a laugh as Troy puts in the CD.

"But it's my turn on the way back", Sharpay informs him seriously.

"Okay."

TBC

A/N 1: I'm sorry this one took so long, but I was really sick last weekend (stomach flu) and I'm just now starting to feel better. That's also why I haven't responded to any of the reviews from the last chapter. Sorry. And thank you very much and please keep R&Ring. Now I've got lots of RL to catch up on, but I hope it won't take so long for the next one.

A/N 2: Boy, I really goofed up. According to my research, the character Peabody, Kim's boyfriend, never sings anything in the whole play, so I just made up something. Just pretend.

A/N 3: She almost said it, didn't she? The 'L' word. Oh, well...maybe one of these days.


	15. Ch 14: I Didn't See the Trouble pt 1

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Okay, here's that rewrite I told everyone about. It really hurt to delete all that good smut, but it really fits the storyline better if that never happened.

A/N: I worked really hard on this chapter and this is when the plot is finally going to start picking up. I have a timeline I was trying to follow and we've finally gotten here. There are 30 people who have this story on their alerts, so I'd love to see a review from each and every one of them to let me know that you're actually still out there and reading.

And the winner is...U.S. Princess. Remember, oh, about a thousand years ago, I asked for suggestions for a guy's name. I combined two of her names James and Martinez ( I didn't want to get sued). Well, I finally got to it.

**Chapter 14: I Didn't See the Trouble, part one**

"Hey", Troy says discreetly as he walks up beside Sharpay as she is entering school on the next Monday morning. "I tried to call you all day yesterday, what gives?"

"_Mother_ decided I hadn't actually learned my lesson yet, since I wasn't repentant about prom night, so she took the phone back for another week, but at least I don't have to ride the bus anymore. Although I may go back to it willingly", Sharpay complains.

They have reached her bright pink locker now and Troy is trying to look like he's searching for something in his backpack on the floor.

"Why? What's wrong?", Troy asks with concern.

"Only Ryan is actually allowed to drive and he's been full of it all morning."

"Oh Shar, I'm sorry. Want me to beat him up for you?", he asks as he zips up his backpack and stands back up.

"Very funny and I only wish it was that simple."

Just then the man of the hour, Ryan, walks by and gives them both an odd look.

"Meet me during free period", whispers Troy, "you know where."

"Kay."

And they separate and go in opposite directions.

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Free period can't come fast enough for Troy and he hurries up to the roof. Sharpay is already there, staring out at the beautiful Sandia Mountain range which runs just to the east of Albuquerque.

"Hey, how'd you beat me up here?", Troy questions, slightly out of breath.

"You're not the only one who knows all the ins and outs of this school", Sharpay replies.

Troy moves to sit next to her and pulls his lunch bag out.

"Want to share?", Troy asks, offering her half of his sandwich.

"No thanks. Why are you eating you lunch now? Lunch isn't for two more periods", she points out as she scoots closer to him.

"'Cause I'm hungry; I'll probably buy more at lunchtime. Want some?", he offers again.

"I'm not very hungry right now", she insists.

"Hey, you're awfully skinny; you're not anorexic or anything, are you?"

"No! Are you crazy? I'm just not hungry, okay? My stomach's been bothering me a little today. Probably just stress"

"Could be the stomach flu", Troy suggests, through a full mouth, "that's been goin' around."

"I don't think so. I think it's Judith-itis. But I'm hangin' in there. It's already the middle of March, so we only have two more months of school. Then, the week after school's out and I'm off to New York."

"Oh, that reminds me", Troy says, "I talked to my mom, my aunt who lives in New York City, that's my mom's sister. Anyway, my mom talked to her yesterday and everything's set. I have a basketball camp the middle of June that I have to help my dad coach, but I'm free til then, so I'll have three full weeks with you"

"That'll be sweet. We'll just have to work around Ryan, but he's an idiot so that won't be hard. Maybe we can throw a couple of cheerleaders at him to distract him."

"Is he still dating that Mitzi girl?"

"No, now he's moved on to her twin, Lydia Owens. Who would have thunk it, my brother, a lady's man."

"I'd hardly call those two, ladies."

"I really don't want to spend my limited time with you gossiping about Ryan's conquests."

"Oh and what would you prefer doing?"

"How 'bout making some of our own gossip about that hunky basketball jock, Troy Bolton", she says as she pushes him onto his back and climbs on top of him. His forgotten lunch goes tumbling to the ground. They both start kissing passionately and Troy moves both his hands to her bottom where he squeezes her firm rear and pulls her pelvis to his with fervor. She starts grinding herself against him and lets out a low moan. They pull away at the same time to catch their breath and Sharpay sits up slightly, straddling his waist.

"We...um...need to...that is...I want to...", Sharpay says incoherently.

"Yeah, me too", Troy agrees as he reaches a hand up under her shirt and inside her bra to feel her firm, tender breast.

Sharpay wantonly throws her head back and Troy lifts his head to take the opportunity to kiss the exposed flesh of her neck. She continues her throaty moans as he starts to pull her shirt over her head, but before he can completely remove it, they both jerk apart as voices are heard coming up the stairs.

"...and up here you'll see one of the more unusual features of the school... the rooftop garden. It's even more unusual considering our location here in the southwestern United States, as you'll see."

By the time Principal Matsui and three strangers wearing business suits reach the top step, Troy and Sharpay are sitting innocently on the bench with three feet between them. They are both casually nibbling on half a sandwich each.

"Ah, Troy, Sharpay. What a surprise. As you can see, gentlemen, students are welcome to come here and admire the scenery or sit and chat", Mr. Matsui continues to explain to his guests. "These are two fine examples of our student body: Troy Bolton and Sharpay Evans. Well, kids I'll leave you two to continue what you were doing."

Sharpay's eyebrow arches up, under her bangs, at the principal's comment. Troy starts to choke on his sandwich.

"Next let me show you the boiler room", Mr. Matsui continues, "It's really hot."

The other two men chuckle politely as they follow Principal Matsui back down the stairs.

"Wow, that was close", Sharpay says with relief, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine", Troy says as he quickly closes the distance between them. "Well, you heard the man, _I'll leave you two to continue what you were doing_", Troy says in a very bad imitation of Mr. Matsui's clipped dialect.

Sharpay giggles, in spite of herself, as Troy pulls her closer and starts to gently pull on her bottom lip with his teeth. She quickly surrenders (there was never even a proper fight) and opens her mouth to engulf him in a passionate kiss.

Just as Troy is sure they are heading right back to where they were when they were interrupted, the bell rings for the end of free period and they reluctantly pull apart and run off their next classes.

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At rehearsal that afternoon, Troy is sitting in one of the auditorium seats going over his lines when Sharpay loudly sits down beside him, whipping out her script.

"**We need to talk, Bolton"**, she says in a demanding voice, **"you're flubbing up your lines in the third scene and its making me look bad."** Then, dropping to a whisper, she continues, "I can't believe how stupid we were."

"**Well, maybe its your bad cue-ins that are screwing me up"**, Troy shouts back at her as he flips to the scene she mentioned. Then, he whispers, "Yeah, I know. Next time we need a real bed; I think I strained my back. How much do you weigh, anyway?"

"**What?!"**, Sharpay gasps in genuine anger. Dropping back low, she says, "You idiot, I meant we could have gotten caught."

"Well, I thought that was part of the thrill", he says, grinning like the idiot she accused him of being.

"Weeell", she croons seductively and shaking herself, continues businesslike, "but that's not the point."

"You're right. We'll be much more careful...next time."

"**Good"**, Sharpay says in a raised voice, **"glad you can see reason because I don't intend on carrying you through this entire play." ** She stands up and storms off.

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The week actually passes quickly and before Sharpay knows it, it's Friday. She has been making a actual effort to get along with her mother this week. Getting the final paperwork finished and in the mail for the drama camp is too important to mess up.

The announcement comes over the intercom during Sharpay's 7th period, the only class she shares with Troy. It's an English Literature class taught by Mrs. Darbus, of course. She just loves Shakespeare.

"Mrs. Darbus, could you have Sharpay Evans come down to the office for early dismissal, please? Her mother is here to pick her up."

"Ooooh, the Ice Princess has a mother, I always thought she was hatched from an egg", comes an unidentified voice from the back of the room.

"That! Will be enough, Mr. Martinez. I'll see you in detention after school today", gruffs Mrs. Darbus and then, to Sharpay, she asks in a kind voice, "You heard, Sharpay?"

"Yes, ma'am", she replies as she gathers up her things. "She's just here to take me to my doctor's appointment. I'm required to have a physical for the drama camp I'm attending this summer. I've already been accepted. This is just a formality, of course."

"Oh, that's right. We haven't had anyone from East High attend camp at the The School of Cinema and Performing Arts since your mother was here. I'm so proud", Mrs. Darbus is actually starting to tear up.

"Thank you, Mrs. Darbus. I wouldn't be anywhere without your support and of course, the support of all the ... little people", she says indicating the rest of the class.

There is an audible groan from the class, but no one makes any snide remarks. Mrs. Darbus is already on the war path and they don't want to be in detention with James Martinez.

As Sharpay struts down the hallway, she can't believe how well things are coming together. She and Troy are growing closer everyday and she's all set to _star_ in Bye, Bye Birdie next week_. Yep, things are really turning around._

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"Hee, hee, 'hatched from an egg', get it, dude?", James Martinez is still congratulating himself as he heads out of class when the bell rings signaling both the end of class and the end of the school day.

"Mr. Martinez, you may gather up what books you need and then follow me to the auditorium where you will be painting scenery for the next two hours. Am I clear?", reminds Mrs. Darbus before James disappears out the door.

"Yes, ma'am", James grumbles.

"Hey Martinez, don't talk about her like that, man", Troy advises in a stern voice as he passes James on his way to his locker.

"Whatta you care, Bolton?", James shoots back at him.

"I just do, okay? So knock it off."

"Come on, everybody knows about the Ice Princess, nobody can look that _hot_ and be that _cold_, right?"

He never even sees the fist that hits him until he is lying on the floor and trying to shake his head to see straight.

"Mr. Bolton!!!", shouts Mrs. Darbus as she comes rushing down the hall. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Darbus. It's a private matter", Troy responds as he wrings his hand in pain.

"Well, be that as it may, you'll be missing rehearsal today. Follow me. We'll go to Assistant Principal Murphy's office after we drop off Mr. Martinez in the nurse's office", she says as he helps James Martinez to his feet. He is still very shaky on the entire trip to the nurse and Troy is following meekly behind them.

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The car ride to Dr. Williams' office is a carefree one with her mother regaling her with stories of her time at The School of Cinema and Performing Arts. Judith was offered a scholarship there after her drama camp, but chose instead, to attend a more prestigious school, The Julliard School. While Judith Evans' money may be able to buy a slot in an eminent drama camp, you have to earn your way into Julliard. Sharpay has nothing to worry about, her mother assures her. Scouts for Julliard will be attending the performance on the final night of the camp and Sharpay and Ryan, who will inevitably have the leads for that production, will be seen. And _being seen_ is all it will take.

They arrive at the doctor's office and go inside. Dr. Charles Williams has been the Evans' family doctor for years. The office has changed very little since Sharpay was a small child --- same toys in the corner, same magazines. Luckily, the wait is short and Mrs. Darden calls Sharpay's name to come back, alone. This is the first time Sharpay is going back to the examination room, alone. It makes her feel very adult, especially when she sees the anxious look on her mother's face as she leaves her in the waiting room. _Sometimes, she acts just like a regular mom._

Sitting on the examination table with her feet dangling over the edge, Sharpay is playing with Dr. Williams' ancient green screened original Gameboy. It must be older than she is. Sharpay can't believe she's missing rehearsal for this. She's already been poked, prodded and bled enough for the past thirty minutes.

Just then the doctor comes in with his kindly old nurse, Mrs. Dixie Darden or Nurse Dixie, as she is called. When you look at Nurse Dixie, you automatically think --- grandmother. And Dr. Williams? He's like a really cool older uncle, you know the kind who has more toys than you do. Dr. Williams has been their family physician for Sharpay's entire life and she's very comfortable here, but she feels really silly sitting here, wearing a paper dress with nothing on underneath.

"Well, all your blood work looks good Sharpay", Dr. Williams says as he checks items off the list on his clipboard. He is referring to the standard parts of the exam that they have already completed. "Heart rate, blood pressure, all excellent", he continues. "That leaves only one item remaining on my list --- the gynecological exam."

Sharpay unconsciously groans.

"I know, dear", Nurse Dixie says sympathetically, "I'm sixty years old and I still groan whenever I hear that too."

"Alright", Dr. Williams says, "let's get started. Just lie back and relax Sharpay. We'll start with the breast exam. You're what, sixteen, right?", he asks as he glances at his chart.

"Yes, sir", as she nervously lies back on the examination table.

"Well then, you should probably start doing these exams on your own, once a month. A good way to remember is just to do them when you have your monthly", he checks the charts again. "February first? Is that right? That's over seven weeks ago."

"Yes sir, but I've never been regular. It's not unusual for me to completely skip an entire month. Mother says she's like that too."

"Oh yes, I remember", he says as he dismisses the anomaly and continues his exam. "Oh well, in that case perhaps you should just do it on the first of each month. Well, everything seems normal. Now we'll move on to the pelvic exam. I know you're nervous, but I'll be as gentle and as quick as possible. Just put your feet in the stirrups... and slide down."

She does.

"Honey, I know this is a little embarrassing, but you're going to have to open your legs", instructs the nurse. "Would you like to hold my hand?", Nurse Dixie offers. Sharpay takes her hand and holds on for dear life.

Suddenly, Sharpay has a horrible thought. Can he tell that she's not a virgin anymore? If he can, will he tell her mother?

She is brought out of her reverie when the doctor comments to the nurse, "Well, this is unexpected."

"What?", Sharpay asks as she raises up on her elbows.

The nurse gently pushes her back down. "Lie back down, dear. The doctor's almost finished."

"But what's wrong?", Sharpay asks nervously.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about right now", the doctor reassures her.

_He knows. Oh God, he knows. Will he tell Mother? Isn't there some sort of doctor-patient law where he's not allowed to tell other people about my personal stuff? Do mothers count as 'other people'? Oh God._

She's so caught up in her personal turmoil that she doesn't even realize he is finished until she hears the snap of the examination gloves as the doctor peels them off.

"Alright Sharpay, Dixie is just going to draw one more vial of blood for a test that I, um, forgot about earlier. Then you can get dressed and come through that door", he indicates to his left, "into my office and we'll finish up with the paperwork."

Sharpay nods her understanding.

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Charles Williams is sitting behind his desk as he nervously shuffles papers around on the large oak surface. This is the part of his job, he most despises, when he has to sit down with a family and tell them... He is jolted out of his contemplation when Judith Evans taps on the partially opened door and enters the room.

"Ah, Judith dear, it's been ages...", the doctor says as he comes around the desk to take her hand.

"Hello, Charles. I hope you've been well."

"Oh, not much to complain about for a man of my years."

"Oh Charles, you're still one of the most handsome men in this town."

"Now Judith, you flatter me..."

Just then Sharpay enters through the other door from the connecting examination room.

"Ah Sharpay dear, please come in. Both of you have a seat", Dr. Williams directs. "I was just completing the physical form and there's something I want to discuss with the both of you."

Judith shoots Sharpay an anxious look. Noticing this, the doctor reassures her.

"Now, there's nothing wrong Judith; Sharpay is a perfectly healthy young woman." Then taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he turns to Sharpay. "Sharpay dear, before you decided to become sexually active, I wish you had come in to talk with me."

_Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, he knows. He could tell from the exam, I knew it. And now he's told Mother._ With this realization, she quickly snaps her head up and looks at her mother. Judith is shooting daggers from her eyes and aiming them straight at Sharpay.

And then Judith slowly turns her head back to the doctor. "You're mistaken, Charles. Sharpay isn't sexually active; she doesn't even date."

"I hate to disagree with you Judith, but that's not actually why I wanted to talk to you two, anyway." And plunging straight ahead, he continues, "Judith, Sharpay is pregnant."

Total silence.

"In fact, if she is correct about the date of her last cycle, she is a little over seven weeks along. That fits with the enlarged size of her uterus that I noticed during her pelvic exam."

Total silence.

Sharpay hasn't heard anything since the word "pregnant". The pounding of her own heartbeat is drowning out everything else.

Judith rises from her seat while schooling her features into a mask of indifference. She says to the doctor, "Well... it was good to see you again, Charles. We simply must get together soon --- perhaps an evening at the country club."

"Now Judith...don't be too hard on the girl."

"Don't worry, Charles. She's my daughter; I think I know how to handle things."

Judith starts for the door and says over her shoulder, "Come along, Sharpay."

Dr. Williams comes around the desk and helps the obviously distraught girl out of her chair. "Here dear, let me help you", he offers. "Take this card with you; it's the name of a very good OB/GYN. You'll need to call soon and set up an appointment. Oh, and here's your completed physical form. I'm not sure if you'll really be needing this now. But...", he trails off as he pushes the card and the form into her hands.

"Now, Sharpay!", Judith orders from the open door.

The trip home is eerily quiet with Judith seemingly completely focused on her driving and Sharpay seemingly completely focused on her shoes. As she pulls into the garage and turns off the engine, Judith turns to Sharpay and instructs her get out of the car and go directly to her bedroom. Sharpay numbly complies.

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"I can't believe you did this! I can't believe you could be so irresponsible!"

"It was an accident."

"Oh yeah, well this little _accident_ of yours might just end your career before it even starts. Do you understand me? Do you?"

"Yeah, I understand. I just...I couldn't control myself, okay?"

"Control?!? I'll give you control..."

"Jack!! Stop screaming at the boy! All this yelling isn't helping _anything_", Lisa says, trying to sound like the voice of reason to her irate husband.

"Well 'all this yelling' is making _me_ feel better", says Jack, taking a deep, calming breath, just like his wife always tells him to do.

The three of them, Jack, Lisa and Troy are sitting in the living room having a heated discussion over their son's latest predicament --- five days At-Home Suspension due to fighting. This, in turn, leads to automatic removal from any and all extra-curricular activities, including his role in the upcoming Spring Musicale.

"Colleges are already looking at you, Troy", states Jack, "and no one's going to look twice at a troublemaker."

"But you weren't there, Dad. You didn't hear him", Troy tries to explain.

"We all know Martinez has a smart mouth. You just have to ignore him."

Troy jumps up agitatedly and starts pacing in the small room. "But the stuff he said about Sharpay...ugh...I just...I couldn't let him get away with it."

"Whoa...Sharpay, who? Sharpay Evans? The Drama Queen?", Mr. Bolton asks in confusion. "What do you care what anyone says about her? Besides I've heard she's got quite the, um, reputation."

Troy suddenly stops pacing the stares down his father and starts slowly walking toward him with a determined look on his face. At that moment, Lisa jumps between her husband and son before Troy really does do something he'll regret. She puts both her hands on Troy's shoulders and gently, but firmly stops his advance on his father.

Over her shoulder, she shoots to Jack, "Jack, that's enough. There's a lot you don't know about."

And then to Troy, "Calm down, Troy. Sometimes,... most of the time, your father's mouth works faster than his brain."

Troy is standing with a scowl on his face in barely controlled angry as he pushes against his mother, albeit without much effort.

"You", Lisa addresses Jack, "sit down in that chair", she indicates with her head to a chair in the corner. Then to Troy, in a more gentle voice, "Troy, let's sit together on the sofa. Obviously, we're way overdue for a family discussion."

Twenty minutes later, the three of them have moved to the kitchen table and Lisa is just bringing over a pot of tea and cups.

"So this Sharpay girl really means that much to you, uh, son?", Jack asks, in an evidently much calmer voice than earlier.

"She means the world to me, Dad", Troy says sincerely.

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Sharpay has been lying on her bed waiting now for the past forty-five minutes, dreading the inevitable confrontation with her mother. Silent tears are slowly drying on her cheeks; she is just about all cried out. She wishes she could call Troy to tell him... She doesn't know what she would say. A baby. She is only sixteen years old and she's having a baby. She can't help but feel scared to death, especially when she thinks about who her mother is. Therefore, she can't help but gasp when her mother enters her room carrying a tray with an understanding smile on her face.

"Here you go, darling. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I thought I'd make you your favorite --- potato soup and here's a nice cup of herbal tea to help you relax", Judith says as she places the tray on the bed, next to Sharpay. "I know you've received an incredible shock, so I thought a bit of comfort food would help."

Sharpay has managed to lift herself to a sitting position, but can't seem to make her voice work.

"Go ahead, darling. Eat up; it'll make you feel better", she set the tray on Sharpay's lap and removed the extra tea cup from the tray which she made for herself and settled onto the bed. Sharpay numbly picks up the spoon and starts to eat. She starts to immediately relax; potato soup really is her favorite and it's been forever since she had any.

Pausing to take a sip of tea, she tentatively says, "I guess you want an explanation, Mother."

"No darling, not right now. Right now, I just want you to relax and finish your meal. There'll be plenty of time to talk later. Tomorrow everything will be much clearer", she says as she take a sip from her own cup.

TBC

A/N: Wow, I finally got here. The whole idea from the very beginning has always been that she got pregnant on that wild drug-induced night, but how to fill the time between the night and when she finds out she's pregnant.

Remember me, research girl. It is currently March 15 in the story. The Night was on February 20th --- a little over 5 weeks ago. Maybe you didn't know this, because I didn't (because it doesn't make any sense), but pregnancies are counted from the 1st day of your last normal menstrual cycle --- 2 full weeks before you actually get pregnant. Anyway, that's why she's 7 weeks pregnant, but it's only been 5 weeks since they 'did' it.

I've already started the next chapter and since I'm fully recovered from my illness I hope I will be able to pop the next one right out. Did you notice my reference to stomach flu in this chapter?

Please R&R.


	16. Ch 15: I Didn't See the Trouble, pt 2

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: Okay, I need everyone to be honest here. Who was really surprised about the whole pregnancy thing and who saw it coming from way back? I've been giving little hints for a long time now, like at the prom when the voodoo lady told them that their lives were already eternally entwined or something like that. That's what she was talking about and of course, the sudden tiredness and all that.

It's a little short, but I decided to go ahead and post since it's a weekend and I figured people have more time to read now. So do that, Read and Review. Thanks.

**Chapter 15: I Didn't See the Trouble, part two**

_Oh, my head. What happened?_ The last thing she remembered was sitting on her bed sipping tea with her mother. Sharpay slowly opens her eyes to find that she is indeed still in her bed. Wait, that's not right. These sheets aren't her 1000 count Egyptian cotton; these sheets are rough and smell of bleach. Looking slowly around the room she finds that instead of her King sized four-poster bed, she is lying on a simple metal Twin bed. The walls are a stark white with no decoration except for a single wooden crucifix hanging over the bed. There is a small dresser on the opposite wall and a small desk with a hard wooden chair in the corner. Other than that, the room is empty. Just as Sharpay is about to get out of bed to explore further, the door opens and in walks a nun in full black and white habit, just like right out of The Sound of Music. _I didn't know they actually still dressed like that_, thought Sharpay.

"Oh good! You're awake! I'm Sister Mary Elizabeth. I had already retired last evening when you arrived, so we didn't get a chance to meet", the older woman says sincerely.

"Arrived? Arrived where? Where am I? Where is my mother?", Sharpay asks anxiously.

"Your mother? Oh dear, I was told all about your _delusions_, Sarah, but I didn't think they would occur so quickly."

"Sarah? Why are you calling me Sarah? And I'm not delusional; I want to see my mother", Sharpay insists.

Sister Mary Elizabeth comes up next to the bed and sits down to continue the conversation in a less threatening manner. "Sarah dear, you know as well as I that your mother is dead. I've read your case history."

"Dead? My mother is dead? What about Ryan?", Sharpay's voice is barely about a whisper.

"Ryan? Is that your boyfriend's name, dear? The father of your baby?"

"No, Ryan is my bro... Baby? Oh God, I almost forgot."

"It's part of the delusions, dear, and since you have to be off your meds while you're expecting, we can only expect your _problems_ to get worse", Sister Mary Elizabeth explains with sympathy.

"Look, I don't know who you think I am, but you're mistaken. My name is Sharpay Evans, my brother is Ryan and our mother is Judith. We live in Albuquerque and I'm a Junior at East High. I'm not delusional and I don't take any medication", Sharpay takes a deep breath and continues in a low voice, "but I am pregnant and I'm very scared because I don't understand what's going on or where I am. Please, help me. Let me call my mother, she'll straighten everything out."

"Now you look here, 'Sharpay', I'm about to lose my patience with you. Your name is Sarah Everett; you're a ward of the state of Colorado and have been since your parents died in a car accident when you were ten years old. You've been passed from foster home to foster home because of your little issues --- like your fantasy worlds that you have a bad habit of confusing with reality. You've been sent here by court order by Judge Mason because without your medications, which, as I said before, you aren't allowed to take during pregnancy, you have been deemed to be a threat to both you and your baby. So enough is enough; quit playing these games, Sarah, and we'll both get along much better."

"Wait, did you say Judge Mason? George Mason?", Sharpay asks as a sickening realization occurs to her.

"Of course, Judge George Mason. Sarah, you were, undoubtedly, in the courtroom when he issued the order."

Sharpay's mind is starting to work on overdrive. George Mason is her mother's personal attorney. He has been for years and even when he was elected to the bench in Colorado, he still handles all of Mother's legal matters. _Oh my God. It's becoming clear --- Mother acting so concerned about me, making me soup, tea. Oh God, she drugged me. _ Sharpay's hand flies immediately to her stomach where she becomes struck by a horrible thought. _What if what she gave me hurts the baby?_ _I've got to start thinking clearly if I'm going to get out of here._

Taking a deep breath, Sharpay tries a different tactic, "Sister, where am I, exactly? I don't actually even remember getting here."

"That's the first good question you've asked me since we started. You're the newest resident at Saint Mary Magdalene's Home for At-Risk Teens. We used to be called the Home for Unwed Mothers, but that was deemed to be politically incorrect about ten years ago. Our home is located a few miles outside of Colorado Springs."

"Home for Unwed Mothers...", Sharpay repeats numbly, "but isn't that where most of the babies are put up for adoption?" Her voice has dropped to barely a whisper by the time she's finished.

"Well, yes that's true; normally, the mother is given the ultimate choice on whether to keep her child or put it up for adoption", Sister Mary Elizabeth pauses and says in a genuinely tender voice, "but Sarah, because you were mandated to come here by the court, part of that order stipulates that your baby _must_ be turned over for adoption."

Sharpay's fragile hold over her emotions collapses and the tears start to flow. "No, no, they can't", she says as she gently covers her still-flat stomach with both her hands. "There has to be some mistake. Please, they can't take my baby. Please", she pleads.

"Sarah dear, I'm so sorry, but they really can. Please understand that your baby will be placed with only the finest of families --- a family that can give your child all the things that you could never afford, dear. I'm sure once you think about it logically, you'll see it's for the best."

Sharpay is crying in earnest now and Sister Mary Elizabeth takes her in her arms to give the poor girl some measure of comfort.

"There, there, my dear, cry it all out. Breakfast is being served in the dining hall and I'd like to take you down there and introduce you to the other girls."

"I'm not hungry", Sharpay mumbles into Sister Mary Elizabeth's cowl, then she pulls back from her and sniffs. "Can I just stay here by myself?"

"Well, I suppose...for a bit, anyway. Perhaps, you can meet everyone at lunch."

"Okay", Sharpay says with a quivering voice, "thank you, Sister."

Sister Mary Elizabeth reluctantly leaves the room and closes the door.

"Oh, I'd love to meet the other girls, Sister", Sharpay says sarcastically into the empty room, "but I'm afraid I won't be here at lunch time."

With that she angrily wipes away her tears which are a mixture of real and fake ones. She wasn't Madame Dupree's most promising student in twenty years for nothing. As she gets out of bed she realizes with a gasp that she's not wearing her own clothes. She's wearing what would pass as a cross between prison garb and hospital scrubs and they're in an enchanting puke green color. She quickly runs over to the dresser to check for something else to wear. She pulls open one drawer after another and they're all empty. And on top of that, the only shoes she can find to wear are the matching puke green house slippers. _Oh well, I'm trying to escape here, not star in a fashion show. _

She creeps over to the door and slowly opens it a crack. There is a wooden chair right outside the door with a heavy-set nun sitting right on the chair.

When the door opens, Sister Edith looks up from her bible to see Sarah peeking out into the hallway. _Well, looks like Sister Mary Elizabeth was right. We'll need to keep a close eye on this one._

"Oh, hello", Sharpay says as she opens the door completely and steps into the hallway. _Damn! Okay think fast, Sharpay. _ "Um, I was just looking for the bathroom, Sister."

"Of course", she says as she closes the book and rises from her seat. "I need to go myself; I'll show you where it is. It's pretty quiet up here right now", she explains. "All of the girls are in class."

"Class?", Sharpay asks as she follows Sister Edith down the hall.

"Yes, we have our own accredited high school here, so you won't fall behind while you're here."

"Wow, I had no idea places like this existed", Sharpay comments, genuinely impressed.

"Well, it's a need we all have a calling to fill", she says as they continue to walk down the long hall to the restroom.

Ten minutes later, Sharpay is back in her room after feigning tiredness to be left alone to take a nap. _Okay, this is going to be harder than I thought. _ She sits on the bed wondering what to try next. _Ah, the window! _ She hops off the bed with renewed hope and goes over to the only window in the small room. She quickly flings open the shabby white curtains to reveal the paned glass window. After a few minutes of struggling with the lock on the sash, she gets it released and lifts. As she looks out the open window, her heart sinks. She is on the third floor of what looks like an old Victorian house. Peering down, she can see she is two floors above a wraparound porch, but still too far to drop down to the roof of that porch. Sharpay turns around and sinks to the floor in defeat. She sits for a few minutes staring into space when an idea hits her.

_It always works in the movies. _ Sharpay quickly jumps up and starts taking all the linens off the bed. She's seen it in a hundred movies and TV shows. Just tie the sheets together, secure the end to something sturdy, drop the 'rope' out the window and climb down. She ties the flat sheet, fitted sheet and thin cotton blanket together. Then, she ties one end of it to the sturdiest thing in the room --- the bed. Quickly throwing the 'rope' out the window, Sharpay takes off her slippers, takes a deep breath, says a silent prayer (appropriate, considering where she is), and starts to lower herself out the window.

Everything is going great for the first few minutes and Sharpay is actually grateful that her mother had insisted on Sharpay staying in such great shape. Suddenly, when she's about twelve feet down and just even with the second floor, her left foot slips and her whole body slams into the side of the house with a thud. The sudden force on the 'rope' causes the _sturdy_ bed to quickly slide across the floor and crash loudly into the wall. Sharpay instantly drops about six feet and jerks to a stop. This jolting halt causes her lose her grip on the rope and drop, screaming, onto the roof of the porch. She hits hard, very hard, and rolls straight off the roof to land with a sickening thud on the ground below.

All of the noise and the scream brings all the residents and most of the nuns out of the house to investigate. Sharpay isn't aware of any of this --- she is out cold.

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Troy is impatiently pacing back and forth in front of his house. Yesterday morning he and Sharpay confirmed that she would pick him up at ten o'clock this morning for their weekly trip to Sante Fe. These Saturdays spent with Sharpay have quickly become the highlight of his week.

She's already forty-five minutes late and she's never late --- it's one of those theater things. He angrily stomps back towards the house. His dad is in the garage, tinkering over something and mom is nowhere to be seen.

"Problems in paradise, Troy?", Jack says, "Did your girl stand you up?"

"No, she didn't. Something must be wrong; I just know it", grumbles Troy.

"Watch that tone with me, son. I'm just trying to be the voice of reason here. Sometimes your feelings aren't always returned how you'd like them, that's all."

"You're wrong, Dad! Just stay out of it", Troy yells as he storms into the house.

"Whoa, calm down, Troy. What's going on?", asks an anxious Lisa as Troy enters the kitchen.

"Sharpay's late and I'm worried and Dad's not helping", he explains as he flops down into a chair.

"Well, why don't you just call her and find out what's keeping her?", Lisa suggests since that's the oblivious and most logical thing to do.

"I can't. Her mom doesn't know about us and she can't find out."

"Oh Troy, she can't be that bad. Any mother would be proud to have you as her daughter's boyfriend."

"You don't know Judith Evans...Well, neither do I, actually. And I want to keep it that way."

"Well, just call and ask to speak to her, that can't be against any rules. Say it's something to do with the play. Oops, I guess you're not in the play anymore. Sorry, but that in itself is reason to call her, right?"

"Yeah, I'll try that", Troy says as he reaches for the book to look up her number. He's never called her house phone before.

"Yeah, what is it?", asks a sleepy sounding Ryan Evans when he finally picks up after the seventh ring.

"Ryan? It's Troy Bolton. I was looking for Sharpay...I mean...Could I speak to Sharpay? Um, it's about the play", Troy states calmly.

"Bolton?", Ryan asks with a yawn, "man, you were the talk of the school yesterday. What in the world caused you to go all postal on James Martinez like that?"

"It's a long story. Could I just talk to Sharpay,..._please_?", Troy has to force the _please_ out.

"Alright, alright. Look, I just woke up. I'll go look for her, okay?"

"Sure, just hurry up."

"Impatient, aren't we? Okay, I'm looking in her room... Sharpay? I'm coming in. ... She's not here and her bed's not been slept in. You know, they weren't back when I came in last night either."

"Who wasn't back?", Troy is starting to sound anxious.

"Mom and Shar. Mom took her to her appointment yesterday, so I assume they're together. I didn't come home until around 12:30 last night. Had a _hot _date, you know?", he says smugly, "They weren't back then and I just went to bed."

"Your mother and sister have been missing for over sixteen hours and you just go to bed?"

"They're not _missing_; they're just not here. They probably went on some mega shopping spree or something. They did that once last year and ended up in LA."

"Well, have her call me when they get back, okay? It's important."

"Sure, whatever you say. I'm going back to sleep", Ryan lets out a loud yawn as he hangs up the phone.

"Well?", Lisa asks with concern.

"That's a weird family. Well, the mother and brother are weird. Sharpay's fine. Ryan says they aren't there and he doesn't know where they went. They didn't come back yesterday", Troy explains.

"And this is normal behavior?"

"Apparently. He's going to have her call me when they get back. I hope. If her mom dragged her off on some shopping thing, that's what Ryan thinks, she wouldn't have had the chance to call me. Sharpay's mother keeps a really tight rein on her."

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_Oh, my head. What happened? Everything hurts. _

In the distance she hears a door open.

"Ah sisters, you're here", says a male voice.

"We were in the hospital chapel, Doctor Owens, when the nurse found us", replies a woman's voice that Sharpay doesn't recognize.

"Well, I'll say one thing for this young woman: she certainly is lucky", says Dr. Owens.

"We don't believe in luck, Doctor; we believe in providence", says a voice Sharpay does recognize --- Sister Mary Elizabeth.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, I'll go over her injuries. She moderately sprained her left ankle and has severely broken her right wrist. She has distal multiple fracture of the radius and an ulna styliod process fracture. We've scheduled her for surgery tomorrow morning. She'll probably need quite a some pins, screws and a plate to hold it all together. But other than a few cuts and abrasions, that's about all that's wrong."

"What about the baby?", asks Sister Mary Elizabeth in a concerned voice.

"Well Sisters, you may actually have a convert in me because this is the most miraculous thing I've seen in a long time. The baby is perfectly fine and given the fall she took, it's nothing short of a miracle. In fact, here's the ultrasound we took when she came in. Miss Everett might want to keep it for the baby's scrapbook."

"She won't be making one", says the first nun, disdainfully.

"Sister Agnes, please don't be like that", urges Sister Mary Elizabeth.

"Why not, Sister? The girl is obviously unsound. It's bad enough she almost committed a mortal sin by killing herself, but she was also trying to take an innocent life with her."

Upon hearing this, Sharpay can't pretend to be asleep anymore. She pops her eyes open and is assaulted with a piercingly bright light making her almost blind as she tries to see the three people to which she's been eavesdropping.

"No", she says in a strong voice, "that's not true. I wasn't trying to kill myself and I certainly wasn't trying to kill my baby."

As she tries to sit up, the room starts to spin out of control and she quickly lies back down. Sister Mary Elizabeth rushes to one side of the bed and the doctor rushes to the other.

"Miss Everett, try not to move", the doctor commands. "You're likely to be quite dizzy for awhile."

He takes out a pen light and quickly lifts each of Sharpay's eyelids in turn and shines the light in them. Sharpay lets out a loud groan at the intrusion.

"As I was telling the Sisters, here. You certainly are a very lucky young woman. Your right arm is immobilized to your chest right now, but tomorrow morning we'll perform surgery and then we'll put it in a hard, plaster cast which will be more mobile for you. As for your ankle, we have it in a walking cast to keep it immobile, but I don't want you putting any weight on it. Now do you have any questions?"

Sharpay cautiously opens her eyes again and sees a blurry man standing over her. He slowly comes into focus and she looks around the room to see Sister Mary Elizabeth standing on the left side of the bed holding her hand and another nun standing on the other side of the room with a scowl on her face.

"My baby...", she asks tentatively, "my baby's okay?"

"Yes, thank the Lord Almighty", gushes Sister Mary Elizabeth, "Here Sarah, the doctor gave me this ultrasound picture for you to keep." She gently hands Sharpay the picture.

It takes a second for her understand what she's seeing. It just looks like a blurry blur on a black and white photograph.

"Those things are a little hard to understand", offers the doctor, "After all, your baby is only about half an inch long --- about the size of a kidney bean, but you can already see the head. That's it there." He points to the larger end of the fuzzy blur in the middle of the picture. He notices that her hand is shaking as she holds the pictures and he looks up to see if she's still suffering from dizziness. What he sees nearly breaks his heart. Tears are streaming down her face and there is an ever so slight smile on her bruised face. Despite what Sister Agnes said, there is no way this girl intentionally tried to harm herself or her baby. He refuses to believe that. Straightening up, he says, "Well, I'll take my leave now. I'll let the nurse's station know you're awake and they'll bring you by something to eat --- clear liquids only for the next twenty-four hours, however."

"Thank you,... Doctor???", Sharpay whispers.

"Owens, Miss Everett, I'm John Owens and I'll be the one doing your surgery also, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, thank you, Doctor Owens", she finishes through her happy tears.

The doctor quietly slips out.

"Sister Mary Elizabeth", comes a sharp voice from Sister Agnes, "I'll just be waiting for you in the car. Don't be long."

"There, there my dear. Now, how are you feeling?", asks Sister Mary Elizabeth, once they are alone.

"I swear, Sister, I was not trying to kill myself", declares Sharpay, "I just wanted to leave, to go back home."

"I know dear, but you don't have a home to go back to, do you?"

"You're right, Sister, I don't", Sharpay says flatly as she continues to stare at the ultrasound picture.

TBC

A/N: Go me! The queen of angst.

Okay, so now it's Sunday, March 17th and she's almost 8 weeks pregnant. I have this whole day planner devoted to this story so I don't mess up the dates or anything.


	17. Ch 16: I Didn't See the Trouble, cont'd

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: Wow, over 200 reviews. Thank you all very much!!!

I thought it would help at this point to add a little summary for people in case they've forgotten what's happened so far. Therefore, I present to you:

**Previously on Unlove You...**

On the night of the Twinkle Towne cast party, Chad and Zeke play a practical joke on Sharpay by putting an illicit drug in her Snickerdoodles. Troy accidentally eats them too and they both run off together and have a wild and fun night full of music, making out, tattoos and 'lemons'. Chad and Ryan find them the next morning in bed at a seedy motel. Ryan convinces Sharpay that Troy was in on the joke and got her drugged on purpose to get her into bed.

The next day, Sharpay decides to give Troy a chance to explain himself, so she goes over to his house and comes upon an innocent act with Gabriella which is easily misinterpreted by Sharpay and she runs off in tears without talking to Troy. The next day, Troy tries to talk to her and Sharpay goes postal on him and says that it was she who was using him and that everyone knows about her slutty reputation and she just wanted to bag herself a jock. See she is so hurt by what she saw at Troy's house that she just attacks him to save her own heart from feeling anymore broken than it was.

Now Sharpay's mom...wow, there's a story in and of itself. Anyway, she a class number one certified B. She forces Ryan and Sharpay to be in all these plays and such because she's trying to get them into Julliard's drama school. So, in an effort to appease her mother and forget Troy, Sharpay throws herself into her drama studies and physical training, and etc. A couple of weeks pass. The prom is coming up and Ryan convinces Sharpay to be on the decorating committee. Well, of course, she takes charge of the committee and pulls off a fabulous prom night. Troy takes **gasp** Gabriella, who conveniently wears the same dress as Sharpay and dyes her hair blond for the night. Of course, there's a mix up (since they're also wearing masks) and Troy and Sharpay go in together to have their fortune told by the voodoo priestess at the prom. Some French is spoken and the voodoo lady tells them that they have both been true to each other and they need to talk. But before they can talk, or more importantly, kiss, Ryan whisks Sharpay away because they have this absurd curfew.

They finally talk and kiss the next day and more French is spoken, oh, and they go to Chuck E. Cheese's. So, now they're together, but no one can know because of Sharpay's wacked out mom who doesn't allow her to date. Oh, and Troy dumps Gabriella. Things are going along just fine with the little secret romance and then Sharpay goes to the doctor for a required physical for a drama camp during the summer. Then, wham, bam, who woulda thunk it, turns out she's pregnant. In a slightly, unrelated sub-plot, Troy gets in a fight at school defending Sharpay's honor and gets a 5 day at-home suspension and gets kicked out of the upcoming production of Bye, Bye Birdie (I forgot to mention that --- Troy and Sharpay get the leads in the Spring musicale).

Mom takes Sharpay back home from the doctor's and plays all nice and lovey with her and she wakes up the next morning in a home for unwed mothers in Colorado where everyone thinks her name is Sarah Everett. Turns out Mom drugged her, used her connections with a powerful judge in Colorado and hauled her up to the nuns and dumped her there. Sharpay, being Sharpay, attempts to escape by climbing out the window from her third floor room. More whaming and baming and she falls, breaking her wrist and spraining her ankle, but (thank the Lord) not harming the baby.

Meanwhile, back in Albuquerque, Troy is oblivious to Sharpay's plight and is trying to find out why she didn't pick him up on Saturday as they had previously arranged.

Pause for a deep breath... I think that's it. Did I leave anything important out? I purposely left out how they had sex in broad daylight on the roof of the school, because as I said earlier, that wasn't my fault.

And now, on with the show.

**Chapter 16: I Didn't See the Trouble, cont'd**

"Troy. It's time to wake up", Lisa calls from the doorway.

"Wha?? Mom, did you forget? Today's my first day of suspension; I don't have to get up", Troy grumbles from under his pillow.

"That's where you're wrong. Did _you _forget? Your father and I talked and decided it wouldn't be in anyone's best interest for you to sit around all week doing nothing, so you're going to work with me."

"What?!?", Troy exclaims as he bolts straight up in bed, "You expect me to wipe noses and change diapers?"

"Oh Troy, they're preschoolers. They have to be potty trained to even be in school...well, for the most part. We do, occasionally, have the odd accident here and there."

"Then, what do you want me to do?", he asks suspiciously.

"Anything I tell you."

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"Hello?", asks a woman's voice.

"Hello, Mrs Evans. My name is Troy Bolton and I'm in the school play with Sharpay. She missed rehearsal on Friday and I needed to talk to her."

"She isn't here", Judith answers flatly.

"Oh, could you have her call me when she gets in? I'll give you my number", Troy offers.

"I'm sure she already has it, young man."

Click. She hangs up.

"Damn", Troy exclaims as he slams down the phone.

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It's Wednesday before Sharpay is released from the hospital. When Sister Mary Elizabeth comes to pick her up, she brings her some real clothes to wear --- well, sort of. The clothes are obviously thrift store rejects. The long peasant-style skirt is a bright tie-dye design that Sharpay suspects is not retro, but is in fact, actually from the 1960's. It wouldn't be so bad except for the blouse that the sister brought to go with it... or not. The top is a spaghetti string smocked baby doll shirt. The spaghetti strings make it easier to put on over the cast on her right arm. Even though she only broke her wrist, it was so severe that she has a full hand-to-elbow hard cast on it. But the real kicker is the color of the blouse --- it's a bright green and blue plaid and against the star-burst tie-dye of the skirt, it is, well, hideous is being kind. The single bright pink flip-flop on her right foot completes the ensemble. There is definitely a reason these people only wear black and white.

With Sister Mary Elizabeth's help they manage to get her hair washed and Sister Mary Elizabeth roughly combs it out and puts it in a low ponytail. However, the most mortifying experience to date is having the good Sister give her a sponge bath and all the comments about how skinny she is.

They walk through the doors of the home at just about lunch time, so Sister Mary Elizabeth insists that Sharpay be taken to the dining room to meet her housemates. She awkwardly shuffles down the hall trying to get used to walking with a single crutch under her left arm. Her right wrist is already throbbing; but the hospital insists that since she is still in her first trimester, she should not take anything more than an over-the-counter Tylenol for pain. She thinks the day can't get any worse until she sees the looks on the faces of the thirty-odd girls who appear to turn simultaneously to stare at her as she enters the room. They look at her with a mixture of pity, disdain, indifference, and out-right hatred. Then, comes the whispers, purposely loud enough to be heard.

"Crazy."

"Crashy."

"Loco."

"Berko."

"Suicide."

"...takes all sort of meds so she doesn't flip out."

"Well, she should try something different because they must not work so good."

"...course she was trying to off herself, why else would she go out a window ..."

"Naw, I heard she was trying to hoover her baby the hard way."

Sister Mary Elizabeth seems completely oblivious to any of this and takes Sharpay to the closest table with an empty seat. Sharpay is sure that someone at this table had made the 'hoover' comment.

"Good afternoon, Ladies, I hope everyone is well today", Sister Mary Elizabeth says in a cheerful voice.

"Hiya, sista", says a tough looking, extremely tall girl with ebony skin and her hair in tight corn-rows. She appears to be about five or six months pregnant.

"I'd like everyone to meet Sarah. She's our newest resident and I'm sure you'll welcome her into our little family", she says to the table and the entire room as a whole.

Then to Sharpay she says, "Sarah, just have a seat here and I'll go get a tray for you."

The Sister pulls out a chair and Sharpay gratefully flops into it.

Corn-row girl plunges right in, "So, they say you tried to kill herself and your baby by jumpin' outta window. Pretty stupid, if you ask me. Must be lots easier ways of dyin'."

"No", Sharpay tries to say in the strong, clear voice, but it just comes out as a choked whisper. "That's not true, I was just trying to escape --- to get out of here."

"But why?", asks a chubby-faced red-headed girl. "I mean, this place is great. The sisters are wonderful, except for Sister Agnes, stay away from her. It's much better than where most of us came from. Oh, I'm Justine, by the way", she adds in a friendly tone.

"Yeah, ain't you one of those wards of the state or somethin'?", asks Corn-row.

"No, I'm not", Sharpay snaps at her, "that's what I keep trying to say. Oh, what's the use... Yeah,...I'm one of those '_wards of the state_'. And I have nowhere else to go, so maybe I _was_ trying to kill myself. Does that make everyone happy!?!"

One of the girls gives a knowing look to a second as if to say, "_See I told you she was crazy_." The second girl casually draws tiny circles on the side of her head with her index finger to indicate _crazy _and says, very quietly, in a high-pitched voice: _cuckoo, cuckoo_.

Before Sharpay can say anything else to further convince them of her lack of sanity, Sister Mary Elizabeth arrives with a tray brimming over with food.

"Here you go, Sarah. Eat up now before it gets cold", Sister Mary Elizabeth says cheerfully.

"Oh Sister, I can't possible eat all that", complains Sharpay.

"What's wrong, Daffy, you 'fraid you gonna gain some weigh --- lose your gorgeous figure", Jada says sarcastically.

"No, of course not, it's just...", Sharpay starts.

"Now, now, you two. I want you both to try and get along since you're going to be roommates."

"Roommates?!", they both exclaim together.

The other girls in the dining room realize this would be an excellent time to leave and they quickly exit the room.

"Oh no, no! Sista Mary Liz. I ain't got no roommate and I aim to keep it that way", Jada says determinedly.

"I beg to differ with you, Jada. Sarah is now your roommate. You have one of the few rooms on the ground floor since Sarah will have extreme difficulty navigating up the stairs. Also, the Mother Superior feels you're just what Sarah needs and she trusts you."

"Mama Mike said that about me?", Jada says, clearly honored with the statement from the Mother Superior.

"Yes, you're the most level-headed girl here and you'll be good for her."

"So, if Daffy Duck, here", Jada says, indicating Sharpay, "decides to nose dive out another window, I'm the one you're countin' on stoppin' her, uh?"

"Precisely, but who's _Daffy Duck_?"

"You know Sista ... _Loony_ Tunes", Jada says as she rolls her eyes towards Sharpay.

"Oh!", the Sister exclaims as she realizes what Jada means. "Please Jada, try to be nice to the dear. She's had a hard life."

"_She_ is sitting right here; Hello?", interrupts Sharpay.

"Oh yeah, how do doin' there, Daffy?", Jada says cheekily.

"Stop calling me that", growls Sharpay.

"What you gonna do, break another bone on me?"

"Maybe I'll just go postal in the middle of the night. It'd be weeks before they find your body; if they ever do. I'm mental, remember?", threatens Sharpay.

"Why don't you just bring your lily- white as...", Jada jumps to her feet and stands menacingly over Sharpay who is still seated.

"Ladies!", comes a booming voice from across the room.

Everyone stops dead in their tracks.

Standing at the doorway to the dining room is a tall, regal woman dressed in an ordinary nun's habit like every other nun at the home. However, it is clear by her baring and speech that she is far from ordinary. She is approximately sixty years old with a striking face that bespeaks of great beauty in her youth.

"Ah, Mother Superior", Sister Mary Elizabeth starts, "I was just introducing Sarah and Jada to each other."

"Wonderful", the Mother Superior says, "I trust you two will get on well."

They both nod in quiet agreement in the presence of this formidable woman.

"And Jada", she continues, "I know you will do your best to help Sarah adjust to life here."

"Yes ma'am, I'll do my best", answers Jada, respectfully.

"And Sarah, it's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Mother Michal and please know that it is the goal of every single soul here at Saint Mary Magdalene's to ensure that you and your baby are safe and healthy, both in body and in spirit."

"Th...thank you, Mother Superior", stumbles Sharpay.

"Now, is there some problem between the two of you that we need to work out together?", the Mother Superior asks Jada and Sharpay.

"No ma'am", they both answer together.

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"That's my bed over there next to the window. So you can have this one", Jada says indicating the only other bed in the small room. Sharpay is still standing in the doorway surveying the room. It isn't much larger than the one she was in before, but it has two of everything: two beds, two dressers (without mirrors), two wooden desks, two wooden chairs, two wooden crucifixes over the beds. The only difference between the two sides of the room is that Jada's desk to stacked full with high school textbooks. She shuffles further into the room and studies the wall next to the desk. It is filled with photographs, held up by thumbtacks. One of them is a picture of Jada and an older, tired-looking woman who looks exactly like an older version of Jada. She assumes that is Jada's mother. They are both smiling broadly and Sharpay immediately experiences a pang of jealousy as she realizes her family has never taken any casual, natural photographs, but only the posed, fake ones that are put into Christmas cards. Another picture is of a high school girl's basketball team with Jada in the center surrounding by her teammates. Curiously, the photograph is jagged on one side and it is obvious that someone's picture was crudely cut out.

Jada sees what's she doing and steps in front of her wall to block Sharpay's view. Sharpay, simply sighs and hobbles over to her bed and sits down.

"Sista Mary Liz says I'm sposed to take you down to the clothes closet later to find you some more stuff to wear. I see you done went and let her dress you, uh? She's a real sweetie, but she ain't exactly high couture."

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?", Sharpay asks suspiciously.

"Simple. Mama Mike. She's one more special lady and if she tells me to be nice to you, then I'm nice to you. Well, come on; time don't stand still, you know. Let's go _acquire m'lady a new wardrobe, shall we?_", Jada says with an fake English accent and an over-the-top curtsy.

Sharpay can't help but crack a small smile at her comical gestures.

"Can it wait til later? I'm, uh, really tired. I really just want to lie down and take a nap. Would that be okay?", Sharpay asks as she lies back on the flat, hard pillow.

"First trimester. I remember it well. That tired feeling will be over by around twelve weeks --- to be quickly replaced with heartburn, backache, and peeing every fine minutes. But hey, it'll all be worth it when we hold our little bundles of joy for the first time, right? I mean there will be this tiny, little person that came from us and is totally relying on us for everything in it's life. That's just,...well,... like the sisters say, _miraculous_."

Jada isn't watching Sharpay as she expounds upon the wonders of pregnancy, so she is surprised when she hears muffled crying coming from the other bed. Sharpay started quietly crying into her pillow from the moment Jada started describing holding her baby.

"Hey, Daffy? You okay?", Jada asks Sharpay with genuine concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine", Sharpay says as she tries and fails to slip into her Ice Princess mask. This is the first time in her life that it has failed her and it only causes to make her feel even more hopeless. Her arm is throbbing, her leg aches, her head hurts and her...oh no! Sharpay bolts upright in the bed, nearly knocking Jada over as she moves as quickly as she can towards the bathroom. Luckily, their room is right next to the shared hall bathroom and if Sharpay was thinking clearly she would probably realize that's why Jada was in that room in the first place. She barely makes it into the first stall as the contents of her stomach come rushing out. Sharpay continues heaving even after her stomach is empty. After she's completely finished, she leans exhaustedly on the wall of the bathroom stall, closing her eyes. She is so incoherent of her surroundings that she doesn't even notice when someone opens the stall door and comes in.

"Hey, it's okay. Lean on me, Daffy. I'll help you up", Jada says gently as she starts to lift Sharpay up.

She takes her over to the bank of sinks and Sharpay gratefully washes her mouth out. Then, Jada silently guides her back to their room and deposits her onto the bed. After quickly retrieving the crutch from the bathroom, Jada reenters the room and gently sits down at the foot of Sharpay's bed.

"Well...", Jada prompts.

"Well, what?", Sharpay mumbles, now even more exhausted than before.

"I'm ready now. I want to hear your story and I got a feeling it's a zinger. Why'd you start boohooing earlier? That wun't no pregger's angstiness makin' you cry like that. Since I'm sposed to be lookin' out for you there cain't be no secrets, got it? So spill, Daffy."

"Only if you stop calling me, Daffy."

"Deal, now start with the talking."

"You want the truth or the story everyone believes?"

"Why don't you tell me both and I'll pick the one I like best."

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"Wow, that's some story. You could sell that plot to Hollywood and make yourself a fortune", Jada comments after Sharpay finishes both of her tales, real and fabricated.

"So you don't believe me?", Sharpay asks, with despair making her voice crack.

"Well seriously,..._Sharpay? _What kind of name is that for a white girl? You know, I have a second cousin on my mama's side named Sharpay and you don't look nuthin' like her."

"Well, it's my name. It's not like I had a choice in picking it. You didn't get to pick your name, did you?", Sharpay asks.

"What's wrong with _my_ name?"

"Nothing actually, I think it's very pretty. Much better than mine."

"Well, we finally agree on something."

They share a moment of quiet and a small smile.

"To be truthful I don't know if I believe you or not, but I'll try to keep an open mind", Jada says.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

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"This is insane, Mom. It's Wednesday and I haven't heard from her all week", Troy grumbles to his mother as he heads out of the preschool and walks with his mom towards her car. Troy is trying to pick plaster of Paris out from under his fingernails as he walks. It is left there from today's big art project at school, preschool, that is. Actually, it was sort of fun, but he'd never admit it to his mother.

"Did the brother ever call you back?", Lisa asks as she unlocks the car door.

"No. And now, when I call their house, they won't even answer the phone anymore. I just think something is wrong. She should have called me or found a way to contact me by now."

"Well, you'll see her at school next week, right? Can't you just wait until then?"

"I don't know, maybe I should go over and try and talk to her before next week."

"Just be careful, you don't want to start any trouble with her mother", warns Lisa.

"I'll be the perfect gentleman", reassures Troy.

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After a few minutes, Sharpay takes a deep breath and asks, "How about you? What's your story?"

"No way, I never said this was sharing time."

"I told you my story --- just seems fair. Your family life can't possibly be anymore screwed up than mine", Sharpay says.

"Well, you got a point...Okay...Well, you saw the picture", Jada says indicating the photograph of the girl's basketball team, "that's me in the center and that was my position. I played center. We were headed straight for the state championships when I passed out during a big game with our cross-town rivals in December. I had no idea I was pregnant."

"Yeah, been there, done that", comments Sharpay.

"Yeah well, anyway, stupid me thought, wow --- I love him --- he loves me --- a baby --- life's going to be perfect, right?"

"I take it things didn't work out so well, uh?"

"Not quite. He didn't react with the same level of enthusiasm as I had", Jada says causticly.

"Did he dump you?"

"Nope, apparently there wasn't anything to dump. I was just a little fun between practices, you know? What he did do was kick me off the team", Jada states with bitterness in her voice.

"He what?", Sharpay asks, confused, and then it dawns on her as she glances over at the team photograph and the missing person on the right side. "Ooh. You mean he was your..."

"Yeah, my coach. The one person in the world I looked up to more than anyone else. I was so stupid, thinking he would leave his wife and kids for me..."

"You mean he was married?", Sharpay asks with a disgusted look on her face.

"Hey! You ain't got no right to look down your nose at me. At least I wasn't drunk when it happened."

"I wasn't drunk", Sharpay says in a low voice, "It was drugs and ... and ... I didn't know about them."

"Whatever..."

"And I wasn't blaming you. I was blaming him. He's the responsible adult here; or at least, he's supposed to be. Oh! What a ... a ... jerk!"

"Careful there, Daffy, you almost got potty mouth, there."

"Very funny and you promised to stop calling me that."

"Oh yeah, well anyhow, my mom don't have a lot of money --- it's just the two of us and she don't qualify for Medicaid, so this was the best place for me to come. After she's born", Jada says as she lovingly pats her tummy, "I'll go back home and be ready to go to college in the fall. Except it won't be on a basketball scholarship like I planned, but it will be on a full scholarship."

"Wow, how'd you manage that from here?"

"Despite what you may think, the classes here are are just as hard, if not harder than my old school. You'll find out tomorrow. But to answer your question, it was mostly Mama Mike. She found me a scholarship that even I could qualify for."

"Oh, cut the crap", Sharpay says in exasperation.

"What the hell?...", Jada jumps back at her.

"I don't know what you're trying to prove with words like _sista_ and all the bad grammar, but I just wanted you to know it's not working. Remember, I'm an actress and you're not staying in character. Oh, most of the time, you're fine, but then you slip up and use some vocabulary that the street-wise woman you're portraying doesn't even know exists."

"Uh oh, I'm slippin', uh?", Jada says with a grin.

"Yeah, you're slippin'", Sharpay confirms.

"Mama Mike is the only person who's been able to see through my act. I'm only being what everyone expects me to be. People see me --- a big, tough looking black chic, so that's what I give them --- a big, tough-looking black chic. I'm just playing a part; it protects me from ... getting too close, understand?"

"Probably better than anyone else on earth. I've been playing parts my whole life", Sharpay says.

"So what are we going to do about this, Sharpay?", Jada asks seriously.

Sharpay smiles at hearing your real name for the first time in five days.

"Do about what?", Sharpay asks.

"How are we going to get you out of here and back to your Troy?"

"You want to help me?", Sharpay's eyes light up.

"Actually, I'd rather beat the shit out of your mother, but I'll settle with helping you. But logically, I don't think we can do anything for awhile", Jada finishes having completely dropped her dialect speech and sounding more like a member of the Scholastic Decathlon Team than the rough girl she presents herself to be.

"Why not?", Sharpay asks, confused.

"Well, you're not ready to hack your way through a dense forest and then scale down the side of any mountains right now, are you?"

"Mountains...", Sharpay repeats in despair. Sharpay had her first look at the countryside during the car ride back from the hospital with Sister Mary Elizabeth. The house is perched at the top a of a very formidable mountain with a single winding road leading up to it. The house sits on an acre of clear flat land with beautiful gardens and landscaping, but beyond that is an impenetrable, thick forest of trees.

"How long before your leg and arm are working?"

"Well, the doctor said I can put weigh on my leg next week, but the I still have to have the soft cast on it for six more weeks."

"Six weeks, uh?", Jada says, thinking.

"But my wrist, well, that's another story. The doctor said I have a distal multiple fracture of the radius and an ulna styliod process fracture", Sharpay finishes slowly, making sure she said the words correctly.

Jada lets out a long whistle.

Street-wise Jada says, "Girlfriend, you done went and messed yourself up real good."

Then, switching back to her normal voice, she adds, "So what did they use? Pins, screws, and plates with an external fixation apparatus to relieve loading on the joint?"

"Um, yeah, that's exactly what the doctor said", Sharpay says in wonder, "I look like the Terminator. The head of my radius was shattered into at least 15 pieces in the joint. Nasty. The ulna styloid process was also busted off. I have a whole Home Depot hardware isle screwed into the joint."

"Ouch, it'll be months before you're finished with all the casts and then you'll need to start physical therapy. It's probably for the best that we wait before doing anything drastic. The highest risk for miscarriage is during the first trimester. In fact, I don't understand why you're even still pregnant. Seems like that fall would have caused a spontaneous abortion."

"The doctor said it was a miracle", Sharpay whispers reverently as she pats her stomach. "Hey, how do you know all that medical stuff, anyway?"

"Oh, my major is going to be pre-med, then I plan on specializing in OB/GYN after med school."

"_Mama Mike found me a scholarship that even I could qualify for_", Sharpay says, imitating Jada's ebonics dialect. "You got a full academic scholarship, didn't you?"

"Yeah", Jada says quietly, "but I still wouldn't have found it, if it wasn't for Mama Mike."

"Hey, you think we could go to her? Would she believe me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. If what you say is right, your lovely mother already has her bases covered. And getting the sisters suspicious of you is just going to have them watching you more closely."

"What about contacting the outside? Could we get to a phone?", Sharpay asks.

"Everyone's allowed one call a week on Saturdays, but you only get to talk fifteen minutes. I usually call my mom. The sisters post your appointment time on Friday afternoons."

"Oh good, at least I can call Troy and let him know I'm okay", then, she becomes very quiet and continues in a whisper, "he doesn't know...about the baby, I mean. I don't think that's something I should tell him on the phone." She finished with a yawn.

"Hey, why don't you take a nap. I have the whole day off from school, so I can keep an eye on you", Jada says with a wink, "I'll just sit over here and study."

"Thanks, Jada."

"No prob, girlfriend."

TBC

A/N 1: My first attempt at dialect; hope it didn't sound too stupid. Now I have a big really important question. Do you think my comment about Sharpay's name is racist? Let's be honest: there are white names and African American names. Everybody knows that. I just think when I hear the name, 'Sharpay', I would start looking for an African-American girl. But if I'm wrong and you, my gentle readers, think I'm being racist, I'll change that scene and remove the comment about Jada's cousin. And I really do think Jada is a beautiful name.

A/N 2: I had to change her break. It's now the wrist and not the arm after I discovered that broken arms don't usually require surgery.


	18. Ch 17: More Trouble

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: Since I'm only able to update once a week lately, I'm trying to make them really long. There's a lot going on in this chapter, so please don't skim it --- lots of plot stuff in this one. Also, despite what you may think, I really don't hate Sharpay. I swear.

**Chapter 17: More Trouble**

"Hello?", Troy says expectantly as he answers the telephone. Every time he's answered the telephone all week, he's been hoping it's Sharpay. And now it's Friday and he's starting to lose hope about when he will hear from her. Something is wrong, very wrong.

"Hi, Troy? This is Gabriella", she says timidly.

"Oh hi, Gabriella", Troy says tiredly. He hasn't spoken to her since he 'dumped' her as Chad put it. Neither Taylor nor any other member of the scholastic team will talk to him either. Well, that actually wouldn't be so bad except they make such a huge deal about turning their backs to him when he comes near them, like they're shunning him. He thinks it's really juvenile.

"I, um, called to find out about Sharpay. I thought you might know", explains Gabriella.

"Know what? What's going on?", Troy asks in a panicky voice.

"Well, she hasn't been at school all week and something's going on."

"Whoa, whoa... Are you sure? She wouldn't miss school the week before a big play. That's not like her."

"I agree and it's not just that; Mrs. Darbus has removed you both from the play. She knows something and she's not happy about it because she's been driving us all crazy this week at rehearsals. She recast the entire play and moved the opening date back two weeks."

"I don't care about the play, but I do want to know what's happening with Sharpay. I knew it... I just knew something was wrong. She wouldn't go this long without getting in touch with me, somehow." Then, realizing what he just said, he tries to backpedal, "um...I mean..."

"It's okay, Troy. I kinda figured out you two are dating and I'm fine with it, really. I mean I'll always like you, but I understand you don't feel the same about me. Plus, I really am concerned about her."

"I'm going over there!", Troy says angrily.

"Over where?", asks Gabriella.

"To Sharpay's house to either see her or have it out with her mom."

Impulsively, she says, "Let me go with you, please. Just in case you do something..."

"Stupid", Troy finishes for her.

"Well, yeah. Why don't I come pick you up tomorrow afternoon around 5:00 p.m. Since tomorrow's Saturday, I don't have to worry about homework."

"Yeah, sure, I guess I can wait til then. Um...thanks Gabriella. I'm glad we're talking again."

"Me, too."

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Well son, your week's finally over", Jack Bolton says as he is taking steaks out of the refrigerator. He is wearing his 'License to Grill' apron and the smell of burning charcoal is in the air. It has been the tradition in the Bolton household to grill steaks every Saturday night. And Jack was in charge of the grill. None of those sissy gas grills for him; it's charcoal or nothing.

"Yeah Dad, it's been a long week", Troy says as he pops the top on a can of Coke and takes a large swig from it. "Oh Dad, Gabriella's going to pick me up in a few minutes. She's taking me over to the Evans."

"Your ex-girlfriend is driving you over to your current girlfriend's house?", Jack asks incredulously, "Things sure have changed since I was in high school."

"Dad...", Troy says in an exasperated voice, "it's not like that. Sharpay hasn't been in school all week and I'm going to insist that her mom let me talk to her. Gabriella is going to be there ..."

"So you don't do anything stupid", Jack prompts.

"I was going to say _for moral support_, but that works too."

"Should I hold the steaks?", Jack questions with a slightly hurt look on his face.

"Oh, sorry, Dad. No, don't wait for me. I'll eat later, okay?"

"Sure, whatever", Jack says flippantly.

"Dad, you've been teaching high school too long. Just tell Mom where I went, please. You know how you are at remembering messages."

"Okay, okay. She'll be back in about half an hour. We just needed salad fixings for dinner. I think I can remember it for that long."

Just then, a car honks its horn and Troy says, "That must be her; I'll be home later, Dad."

"Alright son, but be careful."

"I promise and I won't do anything stupid, either."

_How'd he know I wanted to say that?_, Jack thinks as he sets the steaks on the counter and goes back outside to check the grill.

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Jack has just put the steaks on the grill when the telephone rings. Cursing under his breath, he runs back into the house to answer it before the machine picks up. Noting the _Unknown Name, Unknown Number_ on the caller ID, he curses again, thinking it's probably a telemarketer.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Mr. Bolton?_", asks a tinny female voice over a very bad connection.

"Um, yeah.", he answers cautiously. It could still be a solicitor.

"_Oh, it's so good to hear your voice, sir. Could I please speak to Troy?_", Sharpay was assigned one of the last phone slots of the day and she was petrified that no one would be home.

"Oh, I'm sorry", Jack replies. He is visibly relaxed now that he realizes it's just one of Troy's friends calling. "You just missed him. He went to over to his girlfriend's house."

"_His girlfriend?_", Sharpay asks nervously.

"Yeah, Gabriella picked him up about fifteen minutes ago."

"_Gabriella..._", she echoes with a lump in her throat.

"Yeah, um...I'm kinda in the middle of something here. Can you just leave me your name and number and I'll have him call you back?"

"_No...he...he can't call here, but it's really important. Please tell him that..._"

Just then, Jack looks out the window and sees flames shooting up out of the grill and engulfing his six dollars per pound ribeye.

"Holy sh...!", Jack exclaims as he drops the telephone and rushes out the door to try to salvage his dinner.

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"Wow, that's quite a house. Are you sure this is the right address?", Gabriella asks as the pulls into the Evans' long, bricked driveway and starts up towards a magnificent mansion at the top of the hill.

"That's the address Sharpay gave me a couple of weeks ago, but I've never been here, either", Troy remarks as he double checks the number on the slip of paper he's holding.

Gabriella stops her car in a circle drive in front of the house.

"Should I come with you or just wait in the car?", Gabriella asks.

"I think it would be best if you wait here. Just be ready to take off in a hurry if they sick the dogs on me", Troy says jokingly as he gets out of the car.

"Very funny."

"I just hope I _am_ joking."

_Starter Castle_, Troy thinks as he approaches the enormous front doors of the mansion. The huge double oak doors have an old fashion knocker in the center of each one. He timidly lifts the giant piece of brass on the left door and lets it fall back with a loud bang. Then, Troy takes a couple of steps back and waits...and waits. Just when he is about to knock again, the door opens to reveal Ryan standing there with a frightened look on his face.

"Oh! It's you. Look, I know I was supposed to call you back, but my mom wouldn't let me, alright? I tried, okay? I really did, I swear", Ryan says very quickly and very nervously as he steps out onto the porch, but leaves the door open.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I just want to know where she is. Now, Ryan!"

"Milan. I swear; Mom put here on the flight from LA to Milan last Friday night."

"What? That doesn't make any sense. Why would she go to Italy?"

"Italy? She went to Milan, man", Ryan says confusedly.

"You idiot. Milan is _in_ Italy."

"Oh. Well,...anyway Mom got this offer for Sharpay to do this big modeling gig over there. It's kind of like the European Sports Illustrated swim suit issue. It's a great opportunity for her."

"Give me her number or email or something. Then, maybe, I'll believe you."

"I can't. She isn't actually in Milan", Ryan says and then seeing the angry look on Troy's face, quickly adds, "I mean not right now; she was there earlier in the week."

Troy has just about had enough of this. He grabs Ryan by the collar of his shirt and says through gritted teeth, "Alright Ryan, start making sense and start right now."

"She's on location in Borneo", Ryan chokes out, "I swear that's what Mom told me and it's a remote shoot and nothing works there: no cell phones, no email, nothing. That's...that's all I know. I swear."

At that moment, they both turn their heads to where they hear a short bleep from a siren as two police cars pull up and block in Gabriella's car. One parking behind and one in front. Troy quickly lets go of Ryan just as a woman appears from behind the open door of the house. _So this is Judith Evans_, thinks Troy. She is taller than Sharpay with ash blond hair, but she is so thin that what was probably once a beautiful face has taken on a sharp, hawkish look. That said, Troy can't help but think that she is much younger than he thought she would be. She is much younger than his mother; he's sure of that.

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"Hello? Mr. Bolton, are you there?", asks Sharpay.

All she hears is a dial tone. _He hung up on me. Why?_

She numbly places the old fashioned black telephone back on the cradle and hobbles out of the room. Jada is waiting anxiously for her outside the door.

"Well? Did you tell him?", Jada asks and then in a lower voice, "Is he coming after you?"

Sharpay starts to walk back towards their room.

"No...", she chokes out in a whisper. "He wasn't there. He, um, was out with his old girlfriend."

"Oh, hell", Jada exclaims, raising the irk of the nun they pass in the hall. "Sorry, sista", Jada mutters.

They make it back to the room in silence. Jada opens the door and Sharpay trudges over to her bed and flops on it. She lies down and nervously rests her left hand on her stomach and squeezes her eyes shut to help stem the flood of emotions tempting to seep out.

"You wanta talk about it?", Jada asks cautiously.

"No", mumbles Sharpay as she turns her head away from Jada.

"Well", Jada says as she exhales, "it's dinnertime. Why don't we..."

"I'm not hungry", Sharpay cuts her off. "Go on without me."

Jada slowly walks over to the door and puts her hand on the knob to open it when she stops. Turning around with a determined look on her face, she marches back to Sharpay's bed.

"Get up!", she orders.

"What? No, please, Jada. Just leave me alone."

"Not gonna happen, girlfriend. You think I was all happy-go-lucky, hip-hip-hooray when Coach Julian dumped me? No way; I fell into a damn deep depression. Wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk to anyone. All I did was lay around and sleep---all day, every day."

Sharpay turns her head back towards Jada and stares at her blankly.

"Well, I kept it up for about five days only drinking water when I was so thirsty I couldn't stand it. My poor old mama, she tried and tried to get me up, but I just refused. See, I didn't want to live anymore. The only problem was, it wasn't about only me, anymore. On the sixth day, I began bleeding and something just snapped inside me. I started screaming and screaming and screaming, then I guess I passed out because I woke up in the hospital the next day with a fetal monitor on my stomach and my mama sitting next to my bed crying. I thought the worse, so I started crying too. But my crazy mama was crying 'tears of joy', as she called them. The baby was okay, but just barely and it was one more scary wake-up call for me. See it's not about _you_, anymore. You need to get that through your pretty little head; understand, Daffy? That little person inside of you doesn't get much say in what happens to it, so it's your job to do what's right. You understand me? Then, get up because we're going down to the dining room for dinner. And please, girlfriend,... _save the drama for ya mama_."

Sharpay wipes away her tears, sits up and asks the question she's been dying to ask for the past five minutes, "Coach _Julian_? You've got to be kidding me. That is _so gay._"

Then, she starts giggling as she reaches for her crutch and moves over to the door. Jada, after her emotional appeal to Sharpay, isn't quite prepared for such a sudden change in her behavior. However, she can't help but start laughing, too.

"Don't I wish, Daffy; don't I wish."

"You're right", Sharpay announces as she opens the door and then in answer to Jada's silent question, continues, "...about everything. And I _am_ hungry, so let's go eat."

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The two uniformed police officers step out of their respective patrol cars simultaneously and approach the front door of the mansion. The first officer addresses Mrs. Evans, "Did you call 911? And are the owner of this property, ma'am?"

"Yes, to both questions, officer. I'm Judith Evans and I want this young delinquent arrested", she fumes, indicating Troy as the delinquent with a wicked, pointed finger.

The second officer immediately walks up to Troy and takes him by the arm and leads him back to his patrol car.

"He threatened and physically struck my son, Ryan", Judith continues once Troy is headed away from them.

"Nno, he didn't", says Ryan as he continues to straighten the collar of his shirt, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. "I mean he yelled at me and grabbed my shirt, but he never hit me."

"Quiet, Ryan. You're distraught", warns Judith.

The first officer ushers Judith and Ryan into their house to take their statement. The intent here is merely to separate the two parties before anything more serious happens.

After determining that Gabriella really had nothing to do with the incident, the second officer sends her home.

Twenty minutes later, the two officers meet in the driveway to compare notes.

"Whatdaya got, Joe?", asks the first officer.

"The kid here's harmless. He's looking for his girlfriend and he thinks the mom is up to something evil. He's a little dramatic, but he's harmless. How 'bout you?", asks Joe.

"The woman's a bitch --- plain and simple, but she's within her rights to press charges. She says the daughter's off on some photo shoot in Borneo (wherever that is) and there's pictures of the girl in the living room. She's a real looker, so I could see her being a model and all. Mrs. Evans says she put her on a flight to Milan on Friday night. They flew together to LA and met with a modeling agent and the two of them flew on to Milan together. And Mrs. Evans came back here alone. She showed me the receipt for the ticket. I know that doesn't prove the girl actually took the flight, but until I hear otherwise, I don't think we need to pursue it. Oh, she also showed me the email the girl sent from Italy when she arrived. Seems she doesn't get international service on her phone, so she had to use email.

"I finally convinced her to not press charges, though. But now, she wants to have a restraining order issued against your kid, there. She's already on the phone with some judge friend of hers who she says will file it for her."

"Poor kid --- looks like he got involved with the wrong family. Hope that girl's worth it."

"So, you going to take him home?"

"Yeah, put a little scare into him, so he'll stay away from these nuts. I'll give him one thing, though; he doesn't seem intimidated by that Evans woman."

"Well, that makes one of us."

"Amen to that, brother", Joe says as he heads back to Troy in the waiting car.

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Jack and Lisa Bolton are just finishing their steak dinner when they hear a knock at the door.

"I'll get it", Jack volunteers and he hurries out of the room.

"Oh, you're just trying to get out of helping with the dishes", Lisa calls after him as she rises from her seat and starts to clear the table.

A few minutes later, she is standing at the sink rinsing off the plates when she hears Jack's voice from the front door.

"Honey, I think you oughta come out here."

"Coming...", she answers as she grabs a dish towel and walks towards the door. As she rounds the corner, still drying her hands on the towel, she sees Troy standing in the foyer, staring down at his feet and an Albuquerque Police officer standing next to Jack in silence.

"Oh, my baby!", exclaims Lisa as she rushes to Troy and starts inspecting him for injuries. "What happened? Was there an accident? Where does it hurt? Are you hurt?" By now, she has looked him over closely enough to have detected a hair-line fracture in his pinkie toe.

"I'm fine, Mom. Please, don't do this, now", Troy says as he blushes. It's bad enough to almost be arrested, but to have the almost-arresting officer see his mom checking him for boo-boos...

Jack speaks up, "He's fine, Lisa", and then he adds, pointedly, "at least, physically."

"What do you mean?", asks Lisa with a confused look on her face.

"Mrs. Evans called the police on me", Troy admits.

"What?!", exclaims Lisa as she looks skeptically at the police officer.

"Sorry, ma'am. Forgive my rudeness. I'm Officer Joe Nichols", the officer says as he offers Lisa his hand. _These are good people. I could tell as soon as I walked in the house. Wish I had a chance to meet more of them, but it's tough in this line of work._ "Now there's nothing to panic over. Off-the-record, I think Mrs. Evans over reacted."

"They're hiding something, Mom. I just know it", Troy says heatedly.

"Calm down and someone, please, tell me what happened", Lisa insists.

Ten minutes later, all four of them are sitting around the Bolton's kitchen table. Officer Nichols is enjoying a slice of Lisa's delicious, home-made key lime pie. He has just explained the gist of what happened at the Evans estate.

"So what happens to Troy, legally speaking?", Jack asks.

"Well, she's going to have a restraining order issued against him. That just means that he won't be able to physically approach either one of them or phone or email them --- no contact, whatsoever."

"But we go to the same school", Troy adds, "How's that going to work?"

"There can be allowances made for that. Your schedules might need to be changed if you share any classes with him. Do you?", the officer asks.

"Homeroom, math,...I think that's it."

"Well, since the order is against you, you'll be the one who'll have to change classes", Officer Nichols explains.

"But that's not..."

"Troy, don't start", warns Jack.

"But what about Sharpay? They're up to something; I just know it. What if they've hurt her or something?", Troy asks excitedly.

"Troy..."

"You have no proof that anything bad has happened to her", the officer tries to explain, calmly, "and her mother showed my partner the credit card receipt for her airline ticket and..."

"But that doesn't prove anything; she's got money to blow; it doesn't mean that Sharpay actually took that flight."

"_**And**_", the officer tries to finish, "she showed my partner the email her daughter sent her when she arrived in Milan."

"But has anyone actually talked to her?", Troy asks. _No one is listening to me._

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It's Monday morning and Troy drags slowly into the kitchen. He has never in his life dreaded going to school as much as he is dreading it today. A Bernalillo County Sheriff's deputy arrived at their house at the shocking hour of six in the morning on Sunday to deliver the restraining order. Therefore, today he and his parents are planning to go in early to meet with the Principal Matsui to discuss his schedule change.

As all three of the Boltons walk through the front doors of the high school, the few people who are there that early back away from them (from Troy, actually) the same way they used to part for Sharpay. _Sharpay...God, I hope she's alright._

"Ah...Lisa, Jack...please come and have a seat. You too, Troy. I was expecting you this morning. I was given a copy of this", Mr. Matsui says as he indicates an official looking document on his desk and attempts to hand it to Jack, "by a sheriff's deputy, bright and early this morning."

Jack holds up his hand, palm facing out, to the principal, as he says, "No thanks, Matt, we have our own copy at home. And trust me, we've all read over it many times."

Once they are all settled in chairs, Mr. Matsui starts. "I must say, Troy, that I'm very surprised to see you back in here again, so soon. I've only heard your name mentioned in a good light for the three years you've been at East High and now, you're in my office for disciplinary action for the second time in a week and half. Extraordinary."

"I'm sorry, sir", Troy says timidly.

"Listen Matt, we've had a long talk with Troy and I can assure you that he will not be causing anymore problems for anyone. Right, Troy?", Jack asks.

"Right, Dad."

"Yes, well, let's hope so. It looks like we need to make some scheduling changes..."

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As the Boltons are leaving through the front office, Mrs. Bolton touches Troy's arm to indicate to him to stop and she starts a casual conversation with one of the school secretaries, Elaine Peterson. Jack says goodbye and heads towards the gym.

"Good morning, Elaine. How are you doing? I don't think we've talked since the faculty Christmas party", Lisa asks the older woman sitting at the desk.

"Oh, Lisa. I didn't see you there. I'm fine --- a few aches and pains, but nothing much. How are you?"

"I'm great; finally able to enjoy I'm garden, now that the winds have died down. Oh, Elaine, could you help me? I know I could just call her mother, but since I'm here and all... I was wondering if you have a forwarding address for Sharpay Evans."

"Evans...", Elaine says as she starts typing into her keyboard, "Oh, here it is. I remember now; I'm sorry, but I don't have a forwarding address for her. Her mother picked up her records last week, Monday, I think I was. Anyway, it seems that there was such a short suspension date that she needed to hand-carry them with her to Europe. Isn't that exciting? Italy...Milan...modeling. Oh, to be young again..."

"Oh, that's a shame. Well, like I said, I'll just call her mother and get the address from her. She's such a dear woman", Lisa lies through her teeth with a smile on her face. "Well, take care Elaine and let's do Starbuck's soon."

"Oh yes, definitely. I just love those Dolce Lattes", Elaine croons as she goes back to her keyboard.

She and Troy leave the office and Troy tries to start talking as soon as they get into the hall.

"Troy...", Lisa says pointedly, "why don't you walk me to my car?" And then in a lower voice, "We can talk there."

"Okay, what's going on, Mom? What was all that about with Mrs. Peterson?", Troy asks, once they're in the parking lot. "You believe me, don't you? You think something's up, too."

"Well, let's just say I have a naturally suspicious mind."

"So, what do you think now? That didn't prove anything, did it? We already knew she withdrew Sharpay from school."

"Yes, but how could Sharpay have _hand-carried_ her records to Europe, if her mother didn't pick them up until Monday --- three days after she left?", Lisa points out.

"You're right! I didn't even catch that."

"That's because you spend all your spare time reading the sports section and I spend mine reading Agatha Christie."

"So, what do we do, now? Can we go to the police?"

"I don't think so, at least not after the _incident_ on Saturday. We'll just just to wait and be very observant."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm glad you're on my side, now."

"I've always been on your side, Troy. Oh...but let's not say anything to your dad, yet."

"Okay, I'd get back in. I don't want to be late to my new homeroom."

"Bye, bye, sweetie. Make good choices."

"Ug."

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Troy heads to his _new_ homeroom --- Mr. Branson's class. Mr. Branson is the wrestling coach, a big, burly man, who the school seems to think can handle all the _problem _kids. However, before he can get there, Chad, Taylor and Gabriella descend on him.

"Troy, Gabriella told us what happened Saturday, man. Did you get arrested?", asks a worried Chad.

"Chad, if he had been arrested, how would he be standing here now?", Taylor states the obvious.

"Oh, yeah. Anyway, what _did_ happen?"

Troy starts to walk towards class and the gang follows him.

"Nothing much. Sharpay's mom's a witch with a capital B and she had a restraining order issued against me. Now I can't come within 50 yards of her or Ryan. Of course, that's actually sort of good, since I can't stand him anyway."

Troy turns right and the gang turns left.

"Hey, where are you going?", Gabriella asks.

"To my new homeroom. It's a long story; I'll talk to you guys in free period; I don't want to be late."

Troy enters the Mr. Branson's class with five seconds to spare before the late bell rings. He quickly eyes an empty seat and sits down just as he hears a tremendous bang. Every head turns to see Mr. Branson standing with his huge arms crossed in front of him. He had just slammed the classroom door. Troy is surprised it didn't bust out the glass, until he realizes that there is no glass in that door. It's boarded over with plywood. _Oh... Guess he already busted out the glass._

"Mornin' class", Mr. Branson grumbles. "Looks like we've got ourselves another new student. Yippee", he says in monotone, "Everyone let's welcome Troy Bolton to the class."

No one says anything.

_Oh boy, this is going to be a long day._

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"That's so unfair", exclaims Gabriella, "So you don't even get to eat lunch with us anymore?"

Troy and the gang, Chad, Gabriella and Taylor are sitting in his secret hideout on the roof.

Troy isn't paying any attention to her. He's thinking about the last time her was here with Sharpay...her skin...her lips...

"Troy? Troy?", Chad asks as he finally gives up and shakes Troy's shoulders.

Troy blinks and everyone comes back into focus.

"Where were you man?"

"Nowhere...I was...um...just thinking, that's all."

"Well, Gabriella asked you a question", Taylor explains.

"I said you don't even get to eat lunch with us anymore?", Gabriella repeats.

"Oh...Nope, I can't be at lunch wit wittle Wyan, now can I?", Troy says in fake baby talk.

"Man, that's so not cool", laments Chad, "for all the trouble you've been through, you should've at last punched once."

"Chad...", Taylor tsks, "then he really would end up in jail."

"I already feel like I'm in jail. Have you seen the students in Mr. Branson's class?", Troy shudders and continues, "Scary, man."

And so Troy's new life goes on, without Sharpay while he waits...for what, he doesn't know.

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Sharpay bounces into the room, excited and giddy.

"Oh, you're in a good mood", comments Jada as she looks up from the textbook she's reading.

"Yep", she says smugly.

"What's going on?", Jada asks suspiciously.

"I have here in my greedy, little hands, a picture of the most prefect baby in the entire world, that's all."

"Is that all?", Jada says as she feigns disinterest.

"Oh, but you've got to see _her. _ _She's_ so adorable", coos Sharpay as she gazes lovingly at the xeroxed ultrasound picture in her hand.

"Really?", Jada says, skeptically, as she puts down her book and walks over to Sharpay, with a slight waddle in her step, to take a look at the picture. "You can't tell the sex this early."

"I know, but it's just a feeling I have."

"Yeah, right. Anyway, you're what? Twelve weeks now, right?", Sharpay nods as she looks at the picture one more time before handing it to Jada, "Did you get to hear _her _heartbeat?"

"Yeah, it was...amazing. It made everything feel real --- hearing that woosh, woosh. It was...amazing."

"Uh huh. We'll see how amazing you think it is when _she_ kicks you in the ribs all night and makes you get up three times to go to the bathroom."

"God, I can't believe I've been here over a month", Sharpay says as she gently rubs her barely noticeable bump on her stomach.

"Well, now. I think you're, actually, finally, starting to show, girlfriend."

"_Starting?_", asks Sharpay, disbelievingly, "I'm huge."

"Huge?", Jada questions, "If you're huge, what am I?"

"Ginormous?", Sharpay offers.

"Ha ha. Hey, I like your new cast. Very...what do you white girls say?...glam", Jada says as she indicates Sharpay's new hot pink cast on her right wrist.

When Sharpay went for her obstetrics check-up, she also saw the orthopedic doctor for a follow-up on her broken wrist. He removed the large, full arm cast and removed the pins in her wrist. Then, he recast the wrist in a smaller, much shorter cast which only covered to her mid-forearm.

"They let me pick the color", as she rotates her arm around and marvels at how much lighter it is and how easy it is to move.

"I guessed that. Hey, are you ready to work on our project? It's due next week."

"Okay, okay. You know the one thing about this place that surprises me the most is how hard the classes are. And I'm actually doing better than I did at my old school."

"That's because you don't have your guy around to distract you."

Sharpay's good mood drops, immediately, and she says in a whisper, "I don't have a guy, remember?"

"You don't know that and I think you should have tried to call him again."

"What am I suppose to say? Oh, sorry Troy, didn't mean to interrupt your date with Gabs, but I'm stuck in a home in Colorado. How 'bout pop up here and rescue me. Oh, and by the way, I'm pregnant...", she says in a sing-song voice, "That is so not happening."

"You are one more stubborn..."

"Project, remember?", Sharpay interrupts.

"Alright", Jada concedes as she starts to gather her papers.

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Ryan walks into his house about a week later. He drops his backpack on the floor and flops into the closest chair with a sigh.

_You'd think I was the one who roughed _him _up_, Ryan thinks to himself. The whole school is treating him like a leper. They finally performed Bye, Bye Birdie last week and whenever he appeared on stage, some of the students in the audience actually booed and hissed. _Things can't possible get any worse. _

As he is sitting there feeling sorry for himself, he hears his mother's voice on the phone. So self-absorbed in his own misery, he really isn't even interested in what she's saying. However, as he drags himself up and heads towards the kitchen, he can't help but notice how angry she sounds. Therefore, he stops outside her partially opened office door to listen.

"This is obviously a billing error", Judith shouts into the telephone as Ryan hears paper being rustled around.

"Remove this from my statement immediately and erase all records of it", she commands.

"Why not?", she screams.

"Don't you know who I am?"

"Fine, I'll take care of it myself!", she finishes as she slams down the telephone.

Ryan quickly ducks into the hall closet just as she comes storming out of the room and runs upstairs. He peaks his head out cautiously.

"What was that all about?", he shrugs to himself. Curiosity gets the better of him and he slowly opens his mother's office door and tip toes inside. Realizing how foolish this looks, Ryan straightens up and walks over to her desk. He heard her shuffling papers around, so that seems like a good place to start. There's a statement from her insurance company lying out, so Ryan picks it up. There's the last bill for his teeth cleaning two weeks ago. Big deal. He unconsciously clacks his teeth together. _I do have perfect teeth, after all._ The latest item on the bill is dated April 26th, last Wednesday. It says,

_**12 w son; CS Mem; rout**_

Well, that means...absolutely nothing to Ryan. It's all insurance company jargon, but what he does understand is the name scribbled at the bottom of the page --- _Sharpay_. His mother wrote his sister's name at the bottom of the statement with a big arrow pointing from her name back up to the mystery billing item from last week. What's going on?

Suddenly, Ryan hears a door slam upstairs and he quickly runs out of the office and into dining room where he pins his body flat against the closest wall. He hears Judith's heels clacking down the stairs a few seconds later and she quickly goes back into the office. Ryan takes this opportunity to sneak into the kitchen where he starts frantically digging through the refrigerator, pretending to look for an after school snack.

Judith sweeps into the kitchen a few minutes later with an overnight bag in her hands.

"Ryan, something has come up...business interests. I'll be gone a few days. You can handle that, right?", her stern words broker no arguments.

Ryan, still too nervous to speak, simply nods yes.

"Good." With that, she leaves via the kitchen door. A few seconds later, he hears the tires on her car squeal as she zooms down the drive.

Ryan releases the breath he's been holding and runs an anxious hand through his hair.

_Something's not right. I need help and I know just who to call._

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Troy is lying on Chad's bed listening to his new Corbin Bleu CD. Yes, Troy now truly believes he would do anything for his friend since he agreeing to listen to this junk. He's saved by his cell phone ringing. Chad turns down the music as Troy digs his phone out of his pocket. As he looks at the phone, he heart nearly stops --- it's Sharpay's number.

"Shar?", Troy asks hopefully.

"Uh no, Troy, it's me, Ryan."

"What do you want? And how did you get Sharpay's phone?", Troy asks angrily.

"I...I found it in my mom's desk drawer, okay? And I called because I need your help", Ryan says nervously.

"My help?", Troy asks incredulously.

"Yeah, hey, um, I think you're right, man. I think Mom did something to Sharpay."

TBC

A/N 1: Detail person here. Ashley Tisdale is left handed; therefore, so is Sharpay. That's why she broke her right wrist. I didn't want to totally incapacitate her. BTW, you do know, of course, that left handed people are naturally smarter, more creative and beautiful, right? Just ask anyone of us. Yes, I'm left handed too.

A/N 2: BTW, in my world, "Matt" is a nickname for Mr. Matsui. His name is not Matthew Matsui; that would just be evil.

A/N 3: Educational stuff in this chapter...

Spring in Albuquerque is extremely winding. It really sucks or blows, in this case.

Albuquerque is in Bernalillo County and I think sheriff's deputies do all of that court stuff, like subpoenas and such.

Oh, and all the police stuff...well, I watch a lot of Cops.

Please take the time to review. Thanks.


	19. Ch 18: A Visit from Mother

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: Lots of Nancy Drew type stuff in this one. They have to really work to find Sharpay. I couldn't just hand it to them on a silver platter.

**Chapter 18: A Visit from Mother**

"_Yeah, hey, um, I think you're right, man. I think Mom did something to Sharpay."_

Troy immediately jumps to his feet at rigid attention as he listens intently to Ryan.

"And we need to meet, Troy", Ryan continues.

"When and where?", Troy asks seriously.

Chad is sitting on the floor watching him carefully trying to figure out what's going on.

"Why don't you come over to my house? Mom's not here", suggests Ryan.

"Ha ha, like I'd fall for that one."

"Fine, some neutral place."

"How 'bout Chad's house, then?"

_My house?_, Chad mouths silently to Troy. He follows with, _what's going on?_

Troy waves Chad off with his hand and then turns his back on him while he finalizes his plans with Ryan. He closes his phone two minutes later.

"So talk, man. What's going on?", Chad starts as soon as the phone snaps shut.

"Ryan's coming over here to talk about Sharpay", Troy announces.

"To my house? Are you crazy?", Chad states with an agitated tone in his voice.

"He thinks his mom's done something to her", Troy says calmly, while inside his heart is racing.

"And you trust him? Once again...are you crazy?"

Just then, they hear the door bell ring and his mom calling to him from downstairs.

"Oh, that must be Tay and Gabriella. They're here for movies, remember?", Chad adds when Troy gives him a strange look.

"Oh yeah. Well, there's strength in numbers, so they'll be here when we talk to Ryan."

Just as they have finished explaining to the girls what is happening with Ryan, the bell rings again. Chad takes a deep breath and opens the door.

Ryan stands there with suspicion written clearly on his face as he sees the three other teenagers sitting around the room.

"Wh...what's going on? Is this some kind of set up?", he asks nervously as he steps through the door.

"That's what we want to know, Ryan", Troy says as he rises from the sofa and walks toward Ryan.

"Look, I...I just want to help find Sharpay", explains Ryan, apprehensively.

"But I thought you said she was in Borneo", Troy retorts as his eyes narrow to tiny slits.

"That's what Mom told me, I swear", Ryan pleads, "That's why we can't contact her since there's no communication in Borneo."

"What do you mean there's no communication in Borneo?", asks Taylor, disbelievingly, "Of course there is. I have a very good friend whom I email with all the time who lives in Jakarta. You do know that Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and Indonesia is on the island of Borneo, right?"

"I...I...", Ryan mumbles, incoherently.

"Anyway, what do you think now, Ryan?", Gabriella asks calmly, speaking for the first time.

"Yeah", adds Taylor, "Are you saying you think she lied?"

"I...I don't know what to think", Ryan sighs as he slumps down into a chair and puts his head in his hands.

"Why don't you tell us what made you call me?", prompts Troy as he sits back down on the sofa between Gabriella and Taylor.

"Yeah, start talking", Chad says threateningly.

Troy shoots him a warning look and Chad settles down on a chair next to Ryan.

"Okay, here's what happened...", Ryan begins.

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"I don't get it, so what makes you think something's wrong with Sharpay", Chad asks.

"Well, after I talked to Troy I started searching around the house. You already know I found her cell phone. That's how I was able to call you, Troy, on your cell. She had your number saved on hers. I found it hidden in my mom's desk drawer. So, I decided to start looking for some other stuff. Her room was clean and I mean really clean. Nothing in her bathroom --- no make-up, hair dryer, hair accessories."

"But that's to be expected, she would have taken all that stuff with her anyway", Gabriella points out.

"Yeah, I know, I know, but I started searching the whole house and I found everything in the attic."

"Found what _everything_?", Troy asks with dread.

"Everything that was missing from her room. Suitcases full of clothes, makeup, hair stuff, everything, and I found these --- ", Ryan says dramatically as he holds up a small card and a dark blue booklet with an eagle embossed on the cover , "It's her driver's license and her passport."

"Oh my God, she definitely couldn't have left the country without a passport", Gabriella exclaims.

"Since 9-11, she couldn't have even flown domestically without an ID", adds Taylor smugly.

"But back to the paper you found on your mom's desk, I don't understand what that's all about", asks Chad.

"It was a health insurance statement, Chad. Anytime we go to the doctor, dentist, anything, it shows up on one of those statements. Mom was mad, really mad, about that line on the statement. She told them it was a mistake and it was definitely about Sharpay."

"So can you remember what it said?", Taylor asks.

"Sure but, there was actually, more than one weird line. Just give me a piece of paper and a pen and I'll write them down."

Chad gets him a pad and pen from the kitchen.

Ryan writes down the following:

**26-Apr-06; 12 w son; CS Mem; rout**

**26-Apr-06; rad; CS Mem; fu**

**26-Apr-06; ortho; CS Mem; fu**

"That first one was the one she had circled, so I think that's the one she was mad about", Ryan explains.

"What's all that supposed to mean?", asks Troy.

"I don't know", admits Ryan as he sits back into the chair and leaves the pad on the coffee table for the others to study.

"Hey, you remembered all that from just looking at that paper once; what, like four hours ago?", Gabriella asks disbelievingly.

"Yeah, so."

"Well, Ryan...", Taylor begins, slowly, "you don't exactly have a reputation for being...well..."

"Smart?", Ryan finishes, "Yeah, I know everyone thinks I'm stupid and maybe I'm not a straight A student and I'm not on any scholastic teams. Heck, I can't even spell scholastic, but I've been in eighteen school productions since Kindergarten and if there's one thing I can do, it's memorize lines when I read them."

"Oh", Taylor and Gabriella both say quietly.

"That's nice, but it isn't helping anything", Chad states, "Hey, I'm ordering pizza, who wants in?"

Four simultaneous, _Me's_ are heard in the room.

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An hour and a half later, they're all sitting around Chad's kitchen table, finishing off the last of the two extra large pizzas they ordered.

"Okay, so what we need is some basis of comparison", Taylor says, "Can you remember any of the other lines on that statement where you could understand what it was about?"

"Oh sure, my teeth cleaning two weeks ago. It looked like this: **17-Apr-06; dent; DMA; rout**.

"So what's that one mean?", Chad asks tiredly.

"Oh, that's easy. '**dent**' --- that means dentist, of course. '**rout**' --- that means routine", Ryan explains.

"What's **DMA**?", Taylor asks.

"Well,... oh, I know; it's my dentist's name --- Dr. Muller and Associates --- **DMA**, get it?"

"Great, now we're getting somewhere", Taylor says enthusiastically.

"Really?! Well, I don't see us getting anywhere at all!", shouts Troy. He has been extremely quiet since they sat down to eat and now he's just explodes out of nowhere. "I mean Sharpay could be injured somewhere, lying in some hospital alone, or worse with her mother on her way there and..."

"Troy, man, why don't we leave the nerds here, to play Veronica Mars while we go outside for some fresh air", Chad suggests, calmly.

He gently guides Troy out the back door and onto the large deck that overlooks the Danforth's backyard. They sit down on the steps and Chad grabs a basketball and starts rolling it around in his hands. Troy has sank back into his quiet, sulky mood.

"Remember when all our problems could be solved by just throwing around a basketball for a few hours", Chad says, trying to draw Troy into a conversation.

"Nothing's easy anymore", Troy mutters.

"Hey, we'll find her. We got two of the most brilliant minds in high school working on this. And...and then there's Ryan", Chad adds with a grin.

Despite his dark mood, Troy can't help but smile at that comment.

"Come on, Troy. Let's shoot a few while the geniuses confer", Chad says as he tosses Troy the ball. Troy easily catches it and starts spinning it on the tip of his finger.

"HORSE?", Troy suggests.

"You got it", Chad agrees as they walk around to the front of the house where the basketball hoop is.

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"Did Chad just call us nerds?", asks Ryan.

"You get used it", Taylor says. Gabriella just nods in agreement.

"So, look at these lines. What do they have in common?", Taylor continues as they study the cryptic writing.

"**CS Mem** and the date, of course", answers Ryan.

"Well, **CS Mem** is in the same column as **DMA**, so it must be the doctor's name", suggests Gabriella.

"Or the location...", Taylor says, slowly, "**CS Mem**,..., **Mem**,... You know my grandmother was in the hospital last year --- Bernalillo _Mem_orial Hospital."

"Uh?", asks Ryan.

"Oh, **Mem** is Memorial", announces Gabriella.

"You think Sharpay's in Bernalillo Memorial Hospital?", Ryan asks with his forehead wrinkled in concentration.

"Not _Bernalillo_ Memorial, Ryan. _CS _Memorial", explains Taylor.

"Well, where's that?"

"Good question", concedes Taylor.

"Uuug, this is so frustrating", bemoans Ryan.

"What about some of these other codes? Let's see what we can figure out with them", suggests Gabriella.

"Oh, oh, I know one", Ryan says excitedly, "**rout **is on my dentist line and it's on this first one here." He points to **12 w son; CS Mem; rout**. "That must mean routine, right?", Ryan finishes as he looks back and forth between the two girls, seeking approval.

"By George, I think he's got it", says Taylor.

Gabriella is quietly staring at the paper, thinking. "FU...FU", she mumbles, almost to herself.

"Gabriella!", admonishes Taylor, "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Very funny. I was saying the letters: F U. What could they mean?"

"Well, if the other line says routine, then it must refer to what kind of visit is was. FU...FU...FU", Taylors says repeatedly.

"Please stop saying that. It's just disturbing", pleads Ryan.

"That's got to be it", exclaims Taylor.

"What?", Ryan and Gabriella say simultaneously.

"Follow up", Taylor says slowly.

"That's it", Gabriella agrees, "So now we know Sharpay had some _routine_ something done at _CS Memorial_ on April 26th and two more _follow-ups_ on the same day."

"We're getting there guys. Next let's look at what type of somethings happened", Taylor says and she doodles on a piece of paper, "On first line, it's **12 w son**", Taylor looks up to see if anyone has any ideas.

"Sharpay has a twelve week old son?", Ryan suggests, vaguely.

Taylor refuses to even comment on that one.

"Moving on... The second is **rad** and the third is **ortho**."

"Oh, I know that one", Gabriella says excitedly as she raises her hand like she's in class wanting to be called on. Realizing how silly she looks, she quickly lowers her hand and says proudly, "Ortho --- pertaining to or occupying two adjacent positions in the benzene ring."

Taylor blinks at Gabriella rapidly and shakes her head quickly hoping she didn't just hear what she thought she heard and says to Gabriella, "Save that one for next year's decathlon team, but I don't think it's pertinent in this situation, Gabi."

Gabriella's face falls in humiliation.

"Weeell", Ryan starts slowly, "when I wore braces, I had to go to the _ortho_donist. You think it has something to do with her teeth?"

"It's got to have more to do with her teeth then with benzene rings", Taylor says as she shoots Gabriella an exasperated look. Gabriella quickly gets up and runs from the room, sniffling.

"What's wrong with her?", Ryan asks.

"Gabriella's mortified. She's never gotten a wrong answer before."

"Really?", Ryan asks disbelievingly.

"Really", Taylor confirms, "She told me that once. But back to the task at hand, I don't think they do orthodontics work in a hospital. Um..unless, she had to have surgery on her mouth. That could be."

Taylor becomes very quiet again. "Straighten!", Taylor announces, suddenly.

Ryan immediately sits up straighter, having been conditioned to react to that word because his mom was always riding him about his posture.

Taylor continues, oblivious to Ryan's distress, "It's the medical term for straighten."

"Oh, like in my teeth", Ryan visibly relaxes.

"Exactly, but it also works for bones too."

"Uh? You lost me."

"Orthopedics refers to the medical practice that deals with the skeleton, like broken bones", Taylor is on a roll and she continues. "So, if we assume _ortho_ is for _ortho_pedics, the _rad_ could stand for _rad_iology where you would have those broken bones x-rayed", she finishes triumphantly.

"Oh no", Ryan says with a worried look on his face, "What has Mom done to Sharpay?"

"I don't know Ryan", she says sympathetically, "but I promise we'll do our best to find her."

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"Well, what do we do now?", asks Troy.

Everyone is back in the living room and Taylor has just explained to Troy and Chad what they have decoded from the insurance statement lines.

"We need to know where your mom went", Taylor says, "I guess that's up to you, Ryan."

"Well, when she gets back, I can check her mileage on her car. I filled it up for her last night and I always reset the trip meter", Ryan explains.

"How do you even know she drove there? What's to say she didn't leave her car at the airport and then fly to where Sharpay is?", asks Troy. He's sitting on the arm of the sofa and drinking a bottle of water to cool down from his basketball game with Chad.

Chad is lying flat on his back in the middle of the floor. He's knows better than to sit on his mom's furniture when he's sweaty.

"Oh, she'd never leave her car at the airport. She always calls a limo service to pick her from home when she flies anywhere", Ryan says and then he gets a pained look on his face and slaps his palm on his forehead in anger. "I can't believe I didn't realize it before. Her car was gone for two days when Sharpay disappeared and I never even questioned when she told me they _flew_ to LA. I'm so stupid."

"Yeah, well, we've all done stupid things, Ryan", Troy says compassionately.

Ryan looks up at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"So I guess now we just sit and wait", Chad says.

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"Merciful heaven and all the Saints preserve us", Maddie says in a high-pitched, obviously false Irish accent.

A group of girls are slowly walking out of a classroom and into the hallway. They all burst into laughter at what Maddie says.

"I can't believe you said that to poor Sister Mary Ignatius", Sharpay says through her own laughter.

"What?", questions Jessica, innocently, "It's a pregnancy health class and I was just describing a normal part of our heightened sexual urges starting in the second trimester. She should have covered that herself."

"But do you really think you should have gone into so much detail about what an orgasm feels like to that poor nun?", chastises Jada, jokingly.

"Well, all the sisters have gone off to mass now, so she can ask forgiveness for our immortal souls", Maddie adds with her Irish accent, mostly intact.

"Did you all see her face?", Sharpay puts in, "I thought she was going to pass out."

"You know, my boyfriend told me I couldn't get pregnant if I didn't orgasm", comments Justine, the chubby-faced red headed girl that Sharpay met on her first day here.

"Well, he was obviously lying", Jessica says as she looks pointedly at Justine's protruding belly.

"Hey, a lot of us were lied to", Jada says understandingly as she puts an arm around Justine, "My guy told me he had had a vasectomy." Due to Sharpay's influence, Jada has started to tone down her tough girl image and slowly, the real Jada is coming forward.

"Wow, everybody. Get a load of her", announces Jessica, as she indicates to a woman coming out of one of the offices down the hall. She is walking away from them rapidly, but there is no doubt even from this distance that she reeks of money.

"Think she's one of the prospective parents?", asks Justine, hopefully.

"If my kid got her, he'd never have to worry about anything for the rest of his life", Maddie says as she lovingly pats her stomach.

Sharpay is standing in the rear and struggling to get a look at this woman who is creating so much commotion. She finally breaks through and is able to see the woman who is just about to turn the corner. However, even it this distance, it's impossible for Sharpay to not recognize her.

"Mom?", Sharpay says in a low voice. Then, breaking through the crowd of girls, she practically shouts as she runs down the hall, "Mom,...Mom, wait. It's me, Sharpay!"

Jada stands there watching with genuine concern and worry for her friend. The other girls shake their heads in pity and walk off mumbling things like, _I thought she was doing so much better _and _The lack of meds must have finally caught up to her_.

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Judith hears Sharpay calling to her, but she doesn't stop; instead, she speeds up and the clack, clack of her stiletto heals is almost deafening on the hard linoleum floors. Sharpay finally catches her just as she walks out the front door and reaches the top step of that wrap-around porch whose roof Sharpay bounced off seven weeks ago.

"Mom...Mommy, please talk to me", Sharpay pleads as she grabs Judith's left arm to try to stop her.

Judith jerks away from Sharpay and continues down the outside stairs, but stops when she reaches the ground. Sharpay quickly follows her.

Judith straightens to her full, most intimidating, height and slowly turns towards Sharpay. She looks at her critically for a several seconds with a gaze so severe it causes Sharpay to shrink back slightly.

Her scrutiny softens when she notices Sharpay's arm in a cast and she asks with honest concern, "What happened to your arm, Sharpay?"

"Oh, I...um...broke my wrist when I first got here", Sharpay explains, "I fell out of a window."

"Is there any permanent damage and will it be disfigured?", Judith asks quickly.

"The doctor says that with physical therapy I should regain full use of it, but I'll probably have some scarring. It was busted up pretty bad."

"Well, I'm sure we can find a cosmetic surgeon who can take care of that. I've found that with enough money almost any physical defect can be corrected", she says as she tosses a critical eye towards Sharpay's face.

Sharpay responds by self-consciously raising her hand to her nose. Judith forced Sharpay to have corrective surgery performed on her nose last summer because she didn't like the bump Sharpay inherited from her father. What adds character to Ryan's nose, distracts from Sharpay's, according to her mother. The only feature their father managed to pass down to both of them was his imperfect nose.

"You're showing", Judith says pointedly as she directs her stare to Sharpay's stomach.

"Um...yeah...a little", says Sharpay quietly.

"It makes you look fat", she says flatly.

Sharpay crosses her arms protectively over her belly, but doesn't back down from her mother. She is wearing a stylish bright pink empire waist top with kimono sleeves and black knit capris. Sharpay has not lost her flair, only her waistline. The other girls often comment that she can make Good Will look fashionable.

"Why are you doing this to me?", she asks, defiantly.

"Doing this to _you_?", Judith questions, "The question should be why are you doing this to_ me_? For the past sixteen years, I've planned every aspect of your life so you could succeed where I..." Her voice trails off.

"Where you what, Mother? Where you failed? Is that what this is all about? You weren't good enough, so you decided to relive your life through me", Sharpay says, her anger giving her the courage to say what she would have never said before.

"Why do pompous, little slut!", Judith screams, "You think you have it all figured out, do you? Well, you're wrong, darling --- so very, very wrong. You should be thanking me for doing all that I've done for you and am continuing to do. You must know that I could have just as easily had that bastard of yours aborted before you even awoke and I may be a lot of things, Sharpay, but I'm no baby killer. Because if I didn't kill you and Ryan when you fucked up _my_ life, I sure as hell won't kill this one."

"Wwwhat?", she asks in confusion.

"Oh? Didn't you know Mommy and Daddy's little secret, darling? What did you think, Sharpay, that you were conceived as the result of a healthy, loving relationship from a happily married husband and wife?", she pauses to take a calming breath. "Not hardly...I met your father at a frat party, my freshman year of college. _You_ happened after a night of too much partying, too much booze, and too many drugs."

At the word _drugs_, Sharpay's face paled and her hand went instinctively to her stomach.

Noticing her daughter's reaction, she continues, "Ah, I see it now...like mother...like daughter. Is that it, Sharpay?"

"No,...no, it wasn't like that at all, Mother. We ..."

Judith continues her retrospective unabated, "Oh, I think it was exactly _like that_, darling. Your father never loved me. I was part of some sort of fraternity initiation ceremony.

"_His_ father, an ordained minister, forced him to marry me --- performed the ceremony himself. Wasn't that sweet of him?", she adds sarcastically. "It was so he could back-date the marriage certificate. The dear man --- he was trying to protect his own reputation." Then with a soft look on her face, she says, "You know I really did love your father, once. He never loved me; to him I was just an easy lay. You know he actually called me that once --- an easy lay..."

Sharpay's face has gone from pale to slightly green.

Oblivious to this, Judith persists, "Oh yes, I'm beginning to think it's just like that, Sharpay."

"No, you're wrong", Sharpay declares weakly.

"Well, be that as it may, all is not lost", Judith continues to explain, "I've come up with a reasonable cover story for you back home. When you deliver that Bolton boy's bastard, _it_ will be sent to an orphanage in Europe where you won't be able to find it and _you_ will be sent to an exclusive spa in Lake Tahoe to rid you of that unsightly baby fat", she finishes in disgust. "By the time you return to school after winter break, no one will ever know anything happened and you'll be right back on track to Julliard."

"I'll know", Sharpay whispers as she stares down at the ground. Then realizing that her mother mentioned Troy's name, she asks, "How do you know about Troy?"

"Oh, that pitiful excuse for a male came to the house awhile back. He attacked Ryan and I had him arrested."

"You what? Is he okay?"

"Ryan's fine; there's nothing to worry about."

"Not Ryan! Is Troy okay?"

"I have no idea. After I filed the restraining order, he hasn't given us anymore trouble. He's probably too busy with that Hispanic girl he brought with him to our house."

Ignoring Judith's jab about Gabriella, Sharpay asks, "Mom? I don't understand. If you didn't want to talk to me, why are you even here today?"

"Oh, that. There was an insurance billing problem. It seems Sarah Everett stole my darling daughter's identity and attempted to sully her reputation by having some questionable prenatal procedures performed under her name. I took care of it with a healthy donation to this lovely establishment. Sister Agnes was most cooperative.

"Well, I really must be on my way home now. I don't like to leave Ryan alone for too long. He's so dependent on me. Take care of yourself and please do try to not gain so much weight. It's really not a good look on you, darling."

Sharpay just stands there with a stunned look on her face as her mother drives off.

Jada joins her a few seconds later. "Wow, I...um...couldn't help but overhear. Are you sure you're related to her?"

"Oh, Jada", Sharpay cries as her carefully schooled mask crumbles and she turns towards Jada.

"It's okay, Shar. We'll figure this thing out", Jada says soothingly as she hugs Sharpay to her.

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On Sunday night at nine o'clock, Troy's phone rings. He's been expecting the call and quickly flips open his cell.

"Yeah? What did you find out?"

"793 miles", comes the curt reply.

"Okay, can you meet tomorrow after school?", Troy asks anxiously.

"Sure."

"Good, we'll meet you at Starbucks", Troy ends the call without saying good bye and immediately starts dialing.

"Hey, Taylor. I have a number you: 793 miles."

"Got it. I'll plug it into the program and have an answer by tomorrow."

"Good, we're meeting Ryan at Starbucks after school."

"Okay, I'll bring my laptop. I can use their WiFi if I need to."

Troy flops back on the bed, exhausted. He hasn't slept since Friday night and now he's too keyed up to relax. He feels like they're so close to finding her...so very, very close.

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Troy is the last one to arrive at Starbucks on Monday afternoon. Luckily, the gang has secured them a table since the place is packed with high school students. It's a typical Monday.

"Okay, here's what I have", Taylor starts off, getting straight to business, "If she drove 793 miles round trip; that's approximately 397 miles to get wherever she was driving. So I wrote a computer program..."

Gabriella interrupts to ask, "Does your program take into account the curvature of the earth?"

"Of course", Taylor responds with a annoyed twinge in her voice, "Anyway, my program _accurately_ calculates the most likely cities where she would have gone."

"How do you know she went to a city. The southwest is filled with tiny, little towns; why not one of them?", asks Chad.

"Because wherever she went has to be large enough to have a hospital. Therefore, by taking into account any incremental deviations caused by Ryan's mother stopping for gas or for food..."

"Or potty breaks", adds Ryan.

"Yeah, or potty breaks and cross referencing data from the US census website for correct population level, I have been able to determine..."

"WHERE IS SHE?", shouts Troy, cutting off Taylor's techno-babbling and bringing dead silence to the overcrowded coffee shop.

Undaunted, Taylor coolly turns her laptop toward Troy and announces, "Colorado Springs, Colorado."

TBC

A/N 1: FYI, it's early May, 2006. Ryan over hears his mom on Friday, May 5th. Sharpay's mom shows up at the Home on Saturday, May 6.

A/N 2: I have to give full credit to Bl1SSFuln3ss who is my "good friend whom I email with all the time who lives in Jakarta". She pointed out that, of course, Borneo has communication. Hope this explains everything a little more clearly. And a special thanks to Bl1SSFuln3ss who writes the best darn reviews anywhere.

A/N 2: Couldn't resist commenting on Ashley Tisdale's nose. So did she or didn't she? If she did, I don't think there anything wrong with her doing it. It only bothers me that she felt like she needed to do it. Everyone shouldn't look the same.


	20. Ch 19: Found!

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 19: Found!**

It's early Tuesday morning and Sharpay is awakened from a deep sleep when she hears a low groan coming from the other bed.

"You okay?", she asks sleepily as she sees Jada slowly walk across the floor, heading towards the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine", Jada replies thought gritted teeth, "just go back to sle... uggh --- oh no, Sharpay, I think I need help. My water just broke."

"What?!", Sharpay exclaims, now fully awake, "but it's too early."

"Tell that to junior, here", Jada says as she starts to slowly walk towards the door again.

"Where are you going?", Sharpay says as she hops out of bed and flips on the light.

"To the bathroom; I need to clean up this mess", Jada announces calmly as she indicates the puddle of fluid on the floor.

"No you don't; you go lie down and I'll go get help", she orders her roommate.

Jada starts to walk back to her bed when she stops suddenly and grips the foot board of Sharpay's bed.

"Will you be okay until I get back?", Sharpay asks with concern.

"Yeah...yeah", Jada says through a heavy breath, "just hurry."

The next half hour goes by in a blur. Years of experience with situations like this have made the nuns operate with military precision. Sharpay holds Jada's hand as they walk out to the van that Sister Mary Elizabeth is waiting beside. With Sharpay's help, Jada settles herself into the van's seat.

"You'll be just fine", reassures Sharpay, "I just wish I could go with you."

"Yeah, but if you did, you'd probably end up with your other hand in a cast too", Jada jokes as she notices Sharpay trying to inconspicuously get the circulation back into her hand after Jada let go.

Sharpay blushes slightly. "Well, your mom's on her way and she'll meet you at the hospital", she says awkwardly as Jada nods, "so I guess this is it."

"I'll call you when there's news. Mama Mike says it's okay and you have my mom's address, so we'll write and I'll send pictures."

"Kay", Sharpay whispers as her throat tightens up, "it's just hard, you know. I thought we had three more weeks."

"Guess little Emma Sharpay, here, didn't read the medical books", Jada says as she pats her rock-hard stomach.

"Yeah, I gu...what did you say?"

"I've decided to name her Emma after my mama and Sharpay after my best friend", Jada says as she reaches for Sharpay hand. "And besides it'll make my grandma happy since she'll think I'm naming her after my cousin", she finishes with a wry smile.

"I...I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll quit being so damn stubborn and you'll call Troy and talk to him", Jada stops talking as she closes her eyes and appears to be concentrating. After about twenty seconds, she takes a deep breath and continues, "At the very least, he deserves to know he's going to be a daddy."

They're interrupted by Sister Mary Elizabeth who announces that it's time to go. After one more tight hug, Sharpay steps back and closes the van door. She weakly waves goodbye and then, wipes away a tear.

The Mother Superior quietly walks up beside her and places a comforting hand on Sharpay's shoulder.

"Things will work out, Sarah. Be assured that the Lord is watching out for all of His sheep."

"I know Mother. I'm just going to miss her so much. It's not easy for me to make friends and she's my best friend. I don't know what I'm going to do when I can't see her anymore."

Because Jada is keeping her baby, once she delivers and is discharged from the hospital, she is subsequently discharged from the Home. She will not be allowed to return to the Home to say goodbye to her friends. The original theory behind this is that they don't want a pregnant girl who has decided to release her baby for adoption to feel pressured by seeing a young mother who has decided to keep her child.

"Come back inside now, child. The sun will be rising soon and it promises to be a glorious day."

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Summer...summer...summer...summer. The word is whispered everywhere. Every eye in the school is on the clock as it counts down to 3:10 p.m. Suddenly, papers fly in the air and everyone shouts in glorious proclamation to summer. School's out ... for the summer!

Chad pulls up in front of Troy's house at 8:05 a.m. the next morning. He is driving his mom's minivan and Taylor, Gabriella, and Ryan are already inside.

Ryan has claimed the entire third row for himself. He has a large pillow and looks like he's settling down to take a nap.

Taylor has her laptop on and is consulting the downloaded road map as she sits up front next to Chad. She'll be the navigator during this trip.

Gabriella is moping in the seat directly behind Taylor. She feels like she's a fifth wheel because she's not contributing to the search as much as she wishes she could. Maybe she'll be able to help more when they get to Colorado.

Troy is standing at the curb when Chad pulls up and he quickly throws his bag in the back and jumps in behind Chad and beside Gabriella.

"You're late", Troy says briskly.

"Good morning, Chad. Gosh, it sure is nice of you to drive me all the way to Colorado to find my missing girl friend", Chad says sarcastically as he pulls out onto the road.

"Um yeah, thanks, Chad", Troy mumbles.

"I can't believe you talked your mom into letting you borrow her van", Taylor comments.

"Well, she was so impressed with how clean the house was when I had the after party that she trusts me", Chad explains, "It's a shame Zeke doesn't get to come with us since he was the one who did all the work."

"Sharpay's going to have enough problems dealing with you being part of her rescue party, I don't think you should drag Zeke into this too", comments Ryan as he lifts his head up from his pillow.

"Let's just stay focused and get there, okay?", says the ever anxious Troy.

Six hours and fifteen minutes later, Chad pulls into the parking lot of Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital. Taylor's door-to-door directions are impeccable and they make the entire trip without incident.

Troy hops out immediately and stands there impatiently waiting for everyone else to get out. When they're ready to go he announces to the group, "Alright, let's go!"

"Wait a minute, Troy. Exactly how do you expect to find her?", asks Ryan.

"Simple, I'm going to start by just going in there and asking for her."

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_This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard_, thinks Jada. A burly orderly, named Marvin, pushes Jada's wheelchair down the hall towards the administration office. _I can walk perfectly well on my own, but I don't plan on trying it again anytime soon._ Earlier, she tried to get up out of the wheelchair and just walk down to the office to complete the discharge papers herself. Well, that didn't work too well. Before she knew it, she had five huge nurses trying to make sure she didn't hurt herself by deciding to do the hurting themselves. It seems that hospital policy says all patients must remain sitting in their assigned wheelchairs until they are completely discharged and getting into their vehicles that will take them away from here. _Hell, there's only one part of me that still hurts and that's where I'm currently sitting._

Her mother is already in the car waiting with her baby. Her baby...she didn't know it was possible to love someone so deeply whom she had just met. As Marvin wheels her through the lobby, Jada is brought out of her reverie by a disturbance happening at the information desk. An angry young white man is currently arguing intently with the older woman behind the desk.

"Look, I understand that she probably isn't here now, but she definitely was here on April 26th, so just check, one more time, please. Her name is Sharpay Evans."

"You look, young man, I have checked, five times already. I shan't be checking again."

At that moment, two hospital security guards arrive and make their way toward the angry young man.

_Sharpay Evans, oh my God, he's found her, well almost, but he's about to be hauled off to jail if I don't do something about it,_ Jada thinks to herself. She notices he is accompanied by four other teenagers --- a pale, blond boy with an odd fashion sense, a geeky brunette girl, a preppy African American girl and an African American boy with a retro hair thing happening. Suddenly, Jada has an inspiration.

"Marvin", Jada says to her orderly, "stop the chair a minute. I promise I won't get up."

Marvin stops and watches as the security cops start to escort the unruly group of kids towards the doors.

Taking a deep breath, Jada shouts in her best 'home girl' voice, "Cousin Tyra! There you are, girl!" At the same time she wheels her chair towards Taylor as she continues. "I was just about to be discharged; I didn't think you were gonna to make it, _Cousin_ Tyra", Jada says, emphasizing the Cousin title.

The security guards stop a few yards away from the information desk when they hear a woman yelling in their direction.

Taylor sees this strange African American woman wheeling towards her. She is looking directly at Taylor and appears to be calling her 'Tyra'. Taylor automatically turns and looks over her own shoulder to see if this Tyra person is standing behind her. There is no one there.

Jada continues, loudly, "Don't you recognize me, Cousin Tyra, it's me, _Sharpay._ I know...I know...I've changed a lot since the family reunion last year. Remember, I was going through my blond stage", she says with a sassy attitude.

The security guard who is holding Troy's arm relaxes his grip as he watches this strange drama play out.

By now Jada has wheeled herself right up next to a stunned Taylor. Jada says in a voice only Taylor can hear, "I can help you find Sharpay Evans, just play along, okay?

Taylor understands immediately and says in a loud voice, "Oh! Cousin Sharpay! I didn't think we'd ever find you. The hospital said you weren't a patient here."

"Oh girlfriend, you know I never use Sharpay 'cept around family", Jada turns to the confused desk worker and explains, "Sharpay's my middle name, but Granny always calls me that and I guess it kind of stuck with the rest of the family."

The guard releases Troy and approaches Jada. "So you're willing to vouch for these people?", he asks.

"Oh absolutely. Cousin Tyra's boyfriend, Edgar there", Jada says, indicating Troy, "he's sort of headstrong, but his heart's in the right place. Otherwise, he wouldn't put up with my cousin for so long, ya know?"

"Well, tell him to keep it down. This is a hospital."

"I'll do just that, officer."

Then turning to the orderly, Jada says, "Hey, Marvin", Jada says, "we're going over to the surgery waiting room where we can talk in quiet, okay?"

"Um sure, as long as you don't get up."

"I promise."

Everyone follows Jada meekly down the hall into a small room.

"Okay, what's going on? Do you know her, Taylor", Troy asks.

"No, but she said she would help us find Sharpay", Taylor explains.

"Hold on a minute. First, I think introductions are in order", Jada says in her normal voice as she pivots towards Taylor, "You're not really my cousin Tyra, so you are..."

"I'm Taylor", Taylor smiles as she offers Jada her hand.

"Hi Taylor, you caught on quick out there", Taylor beams proudly as Jada says this.

Then, Gabriella steps up and offers, "Hi, I'm Gabriella."

"Gabriella", Jada echoes darkly as she takes a quick glance over to Troy, "oh, I've heard of you, girlfriend."

"Really?", she chirps happily.

"It's not something to be happy about."

Gabriella's face falls and she shrinks down into a chair.

"Let's see, let me guess about the rest of you... You", Jada says, looking at Ryan, "You look just like her, so you must be Sharpay's brother, Ryan."

"Yeah, that's right. Is she okay?", Ryan asks.

"First things first. Now which one of you two is Sharpay's man?... Mmmm, you're kind of cute, "Jada says as she gazes to Chad, "but with that hair --- not happening --- you should have_ high maintenance_ stamped across your forehead."

"Hey!", Chad says indignantly as Taylor guffaws in agreement.

Ignoring Chad, Jada continues, "So that leaves this hunky guy here --- hi, Troy, I'm Jada, Sharpay's roommate."

"Um...hi...Wait! Her roommate?", Troy is still confused, "Here at the hospital? What room is she in?"

"Yeah", adds Ryan, "We know she saw a doctor here on April 21st."

"What?...Oh that. She was just here for a follow-up on her broken wrist", Jada says, and then in a lower voice adds, "and some other routine stuff." This is not Jada's story to tell, so she has no intention of dropping the baby bomb any time soon.

"Broken wrist!", Taylor says excitedly, "I knew it!"

She shares a look with Ryan and they give each other a celebratory high-five.

Confused by their reaction, Jada says simply, "Oookay..."

"So where is she now?", Troy asks impatiently.

"She's at the ... are you ready for this?, 'cause it's a mouthful, ... The Saint Mary Magdalene's Home for At Risk Youths."

Everyone, but Troy, has a confused look on their faces.

Troy just says excitedly, "Great! How do we get there?"

"Whoa, slow down, cowboy. You can't just rush up there, knock on the door and say 'Hi, we're here to bust out one of your residents, could we see her please?' Now, I wouldn't call it a prison exactly, but it's not like one of the residents can just walk out, either. Those nuns are tougher than they look. Sharpay already tried sneaking out; that's how she broke her wrist."

"But she's better now, right?", asks Ryan with true brotherly concern.

"Much better; she was having the pins removed when she was here for that hospital visit."

"Pins?...", Chad moans in undisguised terror.

Ignoring Chad once again, "I'd help, but I've been discharged and I'm not allowed back there either. In fact, my mom is waiting for me out front, so I don't have much time."

"So, how _do_ we get her out?", Toy asks, more calmly than before.

"With just the five of you? I don't think you can", Jada explains frankly, "You three", she continues, pointing to Chad, Troy and Ryan, "won't even be allowed within a mile of the place."

At their confused looks she explains, "No males period. And the two of you", looking at the girls, "won't get in without an adult --- like a social worker or a parent."

"Well, what do we do now?", Chad asks.

Troy calmly takes his cell phone out of his pocket, flips it open and dials. A few seconds later his party answers, "Hi Mom? I really need your help."

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Jada spends the next fifteen minutes giving them detailed directions on how to get to the house. She also explains that only social workers, parents, and the girls themselves, are allowed in. She suggests that the boys wait down at the bottom of the mountain when the girls go up.

They exchange cell phone numbers with Jada and promise to let her know their progress.

At 10:30 p.m. that night there is an anxious knock on the door of the motel room where the gang has been waiting for Troy's mom.

"Troy!", Lisa exclaims as she rushes into the room, "What's going on? You were quite cryptic on the phone."

"We've found Sharpay, Mom, and we need your help in rescuing her."

"Rescuing her?"

"Yeah, it's like this..."

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The next morning Lisa and Gabriella pull up in front of a large Victorian house and prepare to go inside.

"I don't think I can do this, Mrs. Bolton. Why couldn't Taylor have come instead?", Gabriella says nervously.

"Gabriella, we've already been over this before", Lisa says with an exasperated sigh, "Without proper ID, I could never pull off being a licensed social worker, so we're pretending to be mother and daughter. Now, I understand that we don't look that similar, but it's even less believable with Taylor. Just treat it like it's a part in one of Mrs. Darbus' school productions."

"But I throw up after every production. Mrs. Darbus even made sure to put a special bucket in my dressing room last time", Gabriella explains, referencing the latest school production of Bye, Bye Birdie, "and besides, I'm not '_At Risk_'. I don't belong here."

"Neither does Sharpay."

"Ah, you must be Mrs. Bolton, I'm Mother Michel. We spoke on the phone earlier this morning. And this must be your daughter, Gabriella", Mother Michel is waiting for them at the bottom of the steps leading up to the wrap-around porch.

"Yes, it's so nice to meet you in person", Lisa says graciously.

"Hi", Gabriella says shyly.

"Please come in where we can be more comfortable and we'll have a nice talk", the Mother Superior says as she leads them up the steps and into the house.

Mother Michel's office is located next to the foyer and they all enter to find an older nun standing there waiting for them.

"Oh good", says Mother Michel, "Mrs. Bolton, this is Sister Mary Elizabeth. She's one of our most experienced sisters and has been here at the Home for over fifteen years. Before that, she taught advanced mathematics at Catholic High School in Chicago. She continues in that field here also."

"Really?", Gabriella asks disbelievingly, "And just how do you define advanced mathematics, Sister."

"Gabriella", Lisa chastises.

"That's quite alright, Mrs. Bolton, many of the girls here don't have a lot of respect for the institution of learning. At least, that's how they feel when they arrive; they've usually changed their minds by the time they're discharged", the Sister explains.

"But that's not what I...", Gabriella starts.

"To answer your question, Gabriella", Mother Michel injects, "If you are willing to work for it, we will take you as far as you can go. We teach curriculum-approved AP English, AP Calculus and three different AP History courses. Many of our girls complete the required testing and are able to obtain college credit for these classes."

"Wow, I had no idea a place like this existed", exclaims Lisa who is genuinely impressed.

"Yes and as long as there is a need, I hope we will continue to provide what our girls require", says the Mother Superior, "Now, Gabriella, I'd like you to go with Sister Mary Elizabeth and she'll show you around the home while your mother and I have a chat."

"Oh, I don't think...", Gabriella starts worriedly.

"You'll be fine, Gabi", Lisa assures her.

"Thanks...Mom", she says awkwardly.

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"Now dear, I know you must be a bit nervous, but there's nothing to worry about. Every other girl here is in the same situation as you", Sister Mary Elizabeth notes to Gabriella as she shows her into a small sitting room off the main foyer.

Gabriella just nervously chews on her lower lip to stop from saying anything.

"I thought you would be more comfortable talking with someone you own age. You'll like Sarah, she's only been here a couple of months. Wait here, please, and I'll go get her for you", she says as she whisks out of the room.

Once she is alone, Gabriella quietly steps out of the sitting room and creeps down the hallway. It's not like they're going to just bring Sharpay to her. She hears voices coming from down the hall and walks in that direction.

Several girls are sitting around the recreation room. They are taking a long deserved rest after final exams finished yesterday. Just like in public school, they get the summer off from academic studies. However, they still are required to continue their prenatal health class. But today is Saturday, so they're relaxing and talking excitedly about Jada's baby. Even if they don't get to see her again, any birth is a cause for celebration. She called two days ago to tell them the good news. Emma Sharpay (no one understood why she picked that middle name) was born Tuesday, May 9, 2006 at 11:53 p.m. after an astounding eighteen and a half hours of labor. She weighed 5 pounds and 3 ounces, which is also astounding, considering that she was three weeks early. Jada was discharged from the hospital yesterday, on Friday, and is probably back home with her mom now. She promised to send pictures.

"I'm worried about Sarah", says Justine, "She's hardly been out of her room since Jada left."

"Well, I think she's a nut job and you'd better just stay away from her", says Jessica, the girl who tormented Sister Mary Ignatius in health class last week.

"I don't know; I think she's kinda nice."

"Justine, did you know the word gullible is not in the dictionary?", Jessica remarks.

Justine wrinkles her forehead and asks, "Really?"

"Your Honor, I rest my case", Jessica announces dramatically.

Just then, a Hispanic girl slowly enters the room, her eyes darting about nervously.

"Oooh, looks like we got a newbie", Jessica says evilly.

"Be nice, Jessica", Maddie says.

"Ain't I always?", quips Jessica, as she slinks up to the new girl, as well as a twenty-two week pregnant teenager can slink. Jessica has always been overweight, so her pregnancy just makes her look like she has a pot belly.

"Come on", Maddie says to Justine, "we can't just throw that poor girl to the wolves."

Justine is still pondering whether or not she should actually try to look up the word _gullible_ and does not hear Maddie, at first. "What? Oh sure, I'll help."

Gabriella sees about ten teenage girls sitting around a large room. Some are reading books; some are playing cards; a few are just talking amongst themselves. As her eyes sweep through the room searching for any sign of Sharpay, a short, heavy-set girl with long, straight dark hair, walks up to her followed by two others.

_I'm just acting a part --- playing a role_, Gabriella thinks to herself, _It's not real-life; just act like I'm _at-risk_; that's it, yeah. I can do this. Oh, I'm starting to feel nauseous._

"Hi", says Jessica in a too-sweet voice, "Are you going to be staying here with us?"

"Who, _me_?", Gabriella squeaks in an unnaturally high voice, "No, I'm not,... well, maybe...I guess. My mom's talking to the Mother Superior now." _Deep breath...I can do this...now, this isn't so bad, is it?_

The three girls give each other strange looks.

"Oh, you should definitely meet Sarah. I think you two would get along fab", Jessica says sarcastically.

Justine steps forward.

"Hi, I'm Justine", she says as she waves to Gabriella shyly, "How far along are you?"

"How, what?", Gabriella asks with a confused expression on her face. Then, thinking she understands the question, answers quickly, "I just finished my Junior year."

"Uh huh, that's nice; but she's asking, _how many weeks pregnant are you?_", Maddie tries to clarify.

"Pregnant?!", exclaims Gabriella, a little more loudest than she intended. This catches the attention of the other girls in the room and they all turn to look at Gabriella. "I...I...I'm not pregnant", she says as her voice drops to a whisper, "What kind of girl do you think I am? I've never..._you know_...with a guy."

"Okay sister, cut the act", Jessica says, "This place may be run by a bunch of Catholic nuns, but you don't really expect us to believe in another immaculate conception, do you?"

Gabriella's face goes pale as she looks about the room at the other girls there. Reality hits her like a basketball being shoved up her shirt as it dawns on her that every girl in the room is ... **gasp** ... pregnant. She covers her mouth with her hand as she turns a sickly shade of green. Gabriella turns and runs frantically from the room.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Now that we're alone, what questions do you have, Mrs. Bolton?", Mother Michel asks as she indicates for Lisa to have a seat on the comfortable, yet worn, sofa. The Mother Superior joins her there as she offers her tea.

"Please,... call me, Lisa", Mother Michel nods her head in acknowledgment.

"Well, I must say I think your Home, here is something that will definitely help Gabriella. She's become quite unmanageable recently and I'm at my wit's end..."

"Yes, Lisa, it can be an extremely difficult time for the entire family."

"Yes, but from what I've seen here, I think your program is just what she needs. We couldn't find anything suitable back home in New Mexico. That's where we're from", she adds. "Just being curious... do you get many girls here from New Mexico?", as she fishes for information.

"Well, no. All of our girls are residences of Colorado. Most, unfortunately, are wards of the state, poor dears."

Lisa wrinkles her forehead in confusion. Wouldn't they know where Sharpay came from?

"Oh, I must be confused. A friend of mine recommended your program because she enrolled her daughter here. The daughter's name is Sharpay, Sharpay Evans."

"I'm sorry, but we don't have anyone by that name here."

"Well, maybe she's already left. How long does it take to complete your program?"

Now it was Mother Michel's turn to look confused.

"Um, well, it depends how far along the girl is when she arrives here. For health concerns, we prefer to get them as early as possible, of course."

"Oh, of course, I agree completely. Early intervention is the key. I sometimes wonder if a program like yours wouldn't be beneficial for boys too. Oh not my son, mind you, but my sister's boy...well, that's a different story."

"Your...your nephew?", the Mother Superior asks, totally perplexed.

"Yes, I mean I understand you only allow girls into your program here, but wouldn't it be helpful to open it up to both genders? I'm sure boys would benefit from it too."

"Mrs. Bolton!", Mother Michel says indignantly, "If you are trying to make a mockery of the good work the sisters are doing here..."

Before Lisa can reply, they both turn in surprise as Gabriella bursts into the office with her hand covering her mouth. Years of experience dealing with pregnant teenagers causes the Mother Superior to react quickly. She grabs the trash can sitting on the floor near her desk and brings it towards Gabriella. She takes it gratefully as she sinks to the floor and empties her the contents of her stomach into it.

Mother Michel gently runs Gabriella's back with one hand as her other hand holds Gabriella's hair out of the way. "Now, now dear, there's nothing to worry about", she says soothingly, "It's not the first time a young girl has thrown up in here."

Lisa Bolton is too stunned to say anything at first and has just now regained her voice. "Gabriella, what's going on?", she asks as Gabriella straightens up and Mother Michel hands her a tissue to wipe off her mouth.

"Oh, Mrs. Bolton, this place isn't what we think it is!", Gabriella proclaims. "The girls here,... the girls here, they're not _at risk_. They're pregnant", she hisses out in whisper and she says the word pregnant as if it's a disgusting word.

"Oh", Lisa says simply, and then the confusion of the conversation with the Mother Superior becomes clear and she says again, "Oh." Her mind shifts into high gear and everything becomes abundantly clear. _Oh my God, then that means Sharpay is...and Troy is...oh my God._

"What did you think we did here, Mrs. Bolton?", asks the Mother Superior, indignantly.

"I...I", Lisa stumbles over her words and before she can finish, Sister Mary Elizabeth enters the room followed by someone else.

"Oh, there you are, my dear", the sister says, cheerfully, to Gabriella. "This is Sarah Everett and she'll be showing you around our home and will answer all of your questions", she says as she motions for the girl behind her to come forward.

Sharpay has been feeling miserable since Jada left and Sister Mary Elizabeth found her moping in her room ten minutes ago. She explained that there is a new girl here and the girl seemed particularly apprehensive. The sister wanted Sharpay to talk to her. Since she has just barely started her second trimester, Sister Mary Elizabeth felt that Sharpay wouldn't be as intimidating as one of the other girls. Sharpay agreed, reluctantly, to help. Maybe it would help her get out of her funk.

Sister Mary Elizabeth steps aside to allow Sharpay to completely enter the room. Gabriella sees her first and lets out a loud gasp. Sharpay is wearing short, pale pink wraparound dress which definitely fails to hide her condition; in fact, it accentuates it.

"Sharpay", Gabriella finally says, as her eyes drifts unconsciously to her belly.

"Gabriella?", Sharpay asks in confusion. _If Gabriella's here, does that means that she's..._

Before Sharpay can finish that thought, Lisa Bolton steps forward and tightly embraces Sharpay as she says, sincerely, "Oh Sharpay, dear, I'm so happy we found you."

Sharpay is speechless and stands there with her arms by her side as Mrs. Bolton hugs her.

"Um...Mrs. Bolton...you do realize why she's here, don't you?", Gabriella asks, smugly.

Lisa pulls back from Sharpay and looks at Gabriella with disdain. Then, softening her expression she turns to Sharpay and says, "Of course I do, that's why she coming home...with me."

Sharpay's eyes fill with tears and she melts into Lisa's waiting embrace.

TBC

A/N 1: The countdown to summer for the last day of school came from a youtube video which was filmed at the Disney Channel Games Concert. It looks like that's how the 2nd movie will start.

A/N 2: Please remember that the gang only knows it's a home for at-risk youths since Jada decided not to share the info about Sharpay's pregnancy when she met them. Hence, the confusion at the home.

A/N 3: Research girl here. When I was in middle school, between 7th & 8th grade (so I was, like, 13), my dad was in the hospital and we were up there a lot. Anyway, one of my mom's best friends was the director of the local Florence Crittenton Home, which my St Mary Magdalene Home is based off. It's a real place, Florence Crittenton, not St Mary's, check it out on google, if you want. I decided to use Catholic nuns because I wanted some place where Sharpay couldn't just walk out the front door and go home. I thought the nuns would be stern enough to keep her in check.

Anyway, this place was across the street from the hospital, so one day, my mom & I went over to the _home _to have lunch with my mom's friend and we ate in the dining hall with the residents. This director lady told me all about the home and how the girls continued going to school and how it was their choice whether or not to keep their babies or put them up for adoption. If they went the adoption route, they came back to the home and packed up their stuff after the baby was born and got to say goodbye to their friends. If they kept their babies, they didn't go back because they didn't want to let new mommy influence not-yet-mommy into keeping her baby. That was their policy.

Oh, and while I was there, my mom and her friend wandered off and left me standing alone. A group of pregnant girls approached me and asked if I was going to be moving in soon. It scared me to death. I said no and practically ran away to find my mom. To be honest, some of those girls weren't much older than I was. I'm not trying to pass judgment here. I don't think it's a growing up thing; I think it's a self-esteem thing and these girls didn't have much. Now, I'll get off my soapbox.

I'm going camping this weekend. It's Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., a time to have cookouts, go camping in the great outdoors and collect lots of bug bites. I'm not looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to coming back and reading all the lovely reviews that you will undoubtedly leave for me. Thanks and wish me luck.


	21. Ch 20: Rescue

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 20: Rescue**

_Sharpay's eyes fill with tears and she melts into Lisa's waiting embrace._

"Hush...hush...it's alright, honey", Lisa says soothingly to Sharpay.

Sharpay is crying in earnest now and Lisa gently guides her over to the sofa and sits down with her.

"Is what you said really true? You've come to get me? You're taking me home, to...to your home, I mean", Sharpay manages to gasp out as her crying slows to sniffles.

Lisa is sitting with one arm wrapped around Sharpay's shoulder and the other hand is holding Sharpay's hands which are clasped together. Sister Mary Elizabeth quietly steps up and hands Sharpay a box of tissues which she gratefully accepts.

"Of course, Sharpay, you won't have to stay here any longer", Lisa assures her.

"Mrs. Bolton, what is the meaning of this?", Mother Michel asks, "Who is Sharpay? This is Sarah Everett; she is a ward of the state and was sent here via court order."

"Oh, I beg to differ with you, Mother Superior, this is Sharpay Evans", Lisa announces as she removes her arms from Sharpay to open her purse, "and I have proof." She proceeds to pull two items out and hands them to Mother Michel. "This is Sharpay's passport and driver's license. Proof that she is, indeed, Sharpay Evans."

Mother Michel takes the documents from Lisa and walks over to her desk with them. She sits down and retrieves her reading glasses from the middle drawer. Her brow wrinkles tightly as she examines them.

"Do you know anything about this, Sister Mary Elizabeth?", the Mother Superior asks after she has assured herself that the documents appear to be legitimate.

"Um, Mother Superior, may I speak with you, in private, please?", Sister Mary Elizabeth asks nervously.

"No, Mary", Mother Michel says, her use of the nun's informal name speaking volumes about the seriousness of the situation, "I think everyone needs to hear this."

"Well, as you know, Sarah or Sharpay; apologies to you, Sharpay. I'm just used to calling you that", starts Sister Mary Elizabeth.

"That's okay, Sister", mutters Sharpay as she wipes her nose.

"Anyway, Sharpay was checked in by Sister Agnes, late on a Friday night, if I recall. She shared with me all the documentation about Sharpay --- her medical history, her psychological evaluation, her court order, everything. She told me to expect her to be somewhat delusional as she was currently off her medications and that she may even claim to be someone else. Everything Sister Agnes said, came to pass. Sar...Sharpay did indeed claim to be _Sharpay Evans_.

"And you didn't believe her?", Lisa asks in anger.

"I had no reason to question what Sister Agnes told me."

"I think Sister Agnes needs to join us. Sister Mary Elizabeth, could you bring her here, please?", asks the Mother Superior.

"Of course, Mother."

After the sister leaves, Mother Michel rises from her desk and approaches Sharpay. She kneels down in front of her and gently clasps Sharpay's right hand, the one with the cast. Lisa is holding her left hand. "Believe me, Sharpay", She says earnestly, "we will get to the bottom of this."

"I believe you, Mother; I just hope you believe me."

"Sharpay, I have come to know you over the past eight weeks. We have had drug addicted girls, girls who didn't want their babies, and, yes, girls with serious psychological problems. I never thought you fit into any of those categories. So I want to believe you and we will find out the truth of this matter."

Rising, Mother Michel turns to Gabriella, "Are you alright, dear? Does your stomach feel better?"

Gabriella has been sitting quietly in the corner since Mrs. Bolton gave her that disdainful look.

"Yes ma'am --- just nerves, I guess", Gabriella replies quietly.

"Nerves,...yes", turning back to Mrs. Bolton, the Mother Superior says, "I assume Gabriella isn't actually your daughter since she referred to you as Mrs. Bolton earlier. So, Lisa, if that is your name, who are you, exactly?"

"I really am Lisa Bolton. This is Gabriella Montez and you're right, she's not my daughter. She and Sharpay go to school together. My son, Troy, is Sharpay's boyfriend", at the word _boyfriend_, Gabriella visibly flinches. "He's been suspicious since Sharpay disappeared almost two months ago. Then, with help from some of their other friends, he tracked her here."

"Troy's here?", Sharpay asks in surprise.

"Yes dear, he's at the bottom of the mountain --- waiting with Chad, Taylor and Ryan."

"Oh", Sharpay responds, worriedly. She reflexively takes her right hand and lays over where her baby is growing --- their baby is growing. She's scared to death of his reaction.

Mother Michel notices Sharpay's apprehension and turns to Gabriella. "Gabriella, why don't we go get a nice cup of soothing tea? It'll help your stomach, dear", she suggests. Seeing Gabriella's reluctance, she adds, "I think Lisa and Sharpay need a chance to talk --- alone. Let's leave", she adds forcefully.

Gabriella casts a concerned look towards Mrs. Bolton, hoping she will help her. Lisa looks from the Mother Superior to Sharpay and then says to Gabriella, "Go with her Gabriella, the Mother Superior's right, Sharpay and I do need to talk."

And then to Mother Michel she adds, "Thank you."

After they have gone, Lisa turns to Sharpay. She decides to start slowly by asking, "What happened to your arm, Sharpay?"

"Oh...I...um...fell out of a window when I first got here --- broke my wrist", she explains meekly.

Lisa has a horrified look on her face. "And the baby?", she blurts out nervously.

Sharpay's face pales immediately and she pulls her left hand away from Lisa and places both hands protectively over her bump. "The baby's fine. The doctor said it was a miracle", she starts to tear up and her voice starts to quiver, "I...I was sooo scared she had died."

Gently Lisa places one of her hands over Sharpay's and joins Sharpay in protecting her unborn grandchild. "Oh, you poor baby. And you were here all alone? But you're not alone anymore. Do you understand? You have Jack and me and you have Troy, too."

"Troy...he...he doesn't know", Sharpay's voice drops to a whisper as she continues, "about the baby, I mean. I never had a chance to tell him before...before my mother...", but before she can finish, her crying becomes so severe that she can't continue.

"Calm down, Sharpay. This can't be good for either one of you."

Sniffling deeply, Sharpay takes a calming breath. "You're right. It's just that I'm so worried that she's going to take my baby."

"Who is, Sharpay?"

"My mother. She came here two weeks ago..."

Sharpay proceeds to bring Lisa up to date on her mother's visit. When she has finished, tears are falling down both their faces.

"That bitch!", Lisa exclaims.

Sharpay's eyes pop open at the same time that Lisa gasps at what she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sharpay, but she is."

"You're right; I never realized how delusional she is."

There's a light knock on the door and Mother Michel and Gabriella reenter along with Sisters Mary Elizabeth and Agnes, the latter of whom has a look of extreme trepidation on her face. Sharpay immediately tenses up when she sees Sister Agnes. She doesn't have any direct day-to-day contact with the girls because she handles all the paperwork aspects of the home including admissions and finances. However, Sharpay very clearly remembers how she treated her at the hospital after her fall. Sister Agnes definitely believed that Sharpay had jumped from that window in a deluded effort to kill both herself and the baby.

"Alright", Mother Superior begins, "now that we're all here, I would like an explanation for why a girl whom we believe is Sarah Everett is, in actuality, Sharpay Evans. Well, Sister Agnes..."

What follows is an incredible story of intrigue, deceit and treachery. Sister Agnes explains through tears and shame about how she was contacted by a representative of Judge Mason.

"He told me he had a special case which needed to be handled very delicately. It seems that the uncontrollable daughter of a very wealthy family had fallen into the wrong crowd and had become dependent on drugs and alcohol. On top of this, she also had deep-seated emotional issues which only a steady supply of lithium could keep in check. Her family was at its wit's end. The final shoe dropped when she turned up pregnant. Because of the family's political aspirations, they wanted her to be admitted under an assumed name --- Sarah Everett. They had all the proper paperwork and documentation to back up this assumed identity.

I agreed to allow the girl to be admitted mostly due to the pleas from Judge Mason. The Judge has been a huge supporter of the home for many years. So they brought her in late one night under the cover of darkness. In fact, an orderly carried her in after midnight and explained that she had to be sedated in order to get her here. A striking woman in her mid-thirties accompanied them. She told me that she was the girl's social worker and she gave me her paperwork and a sealed envelope with a contribution from the girl's family. It wasn't until after they left that I looked inside to find $5,000 in cash. And then, when the girl tried to escape on her very first day here, I felt reassured that everything the social worker told me was true."

Always good at reading people, Lisa Bolton asks, "But something made you change your mind, didn't it?"

"Ye..yes, it did. Two weeks ago, the social worker came back. Apparently, there was a mix up with Sarah's insurance billing. It should have been billed straight to the home, but instead it showed up on her parent's personal insurance records. She was hysterical; she ranted and raved at me to correct the problem and have the records deleted with any reference to the girl's family. She appeared unstable to me. However, to my shame, I agreed to her demands. And she left another envelope with another contribution from the family --- this time $10,000. And with it, the promise of $10,000 more if everything went smoothly. I was suspicious of her, of course, and I discreetly watched her out of an upstairs window to ensure that she left the property. I witnessed the confrontation between the woman and Sarah --- whom I now realize was Sharpay Evans and the social worker was, in actuality, her mother."

"Why didn't you come to me immediately with this information Agnes?", asks Mother Michel.

"Oh, Mother, my conscious has been plagued with my decision since I made it. But you don't deal with the finances on a daily basis as I do. You don't know how close we are to having the electricity shut off every other month when we can't pay the bills. All the medical expenses that the home pays for which Medicaid refuses to pay. All the pressure I'm under from bill collectors every single day. I'm so sorry, Sharpay. I had no idea what she planned to do..." She trails off as her eyes fill with tears and she sinks her head into her hands.

Mother Michel quietly walks over and lays a hand on Sister Agnes' shoulder in a comforting gesture. "The Lord's grace will be your salvation."

Lisa Bolton asks the obvious, "So what happens now?"

"Good question", say the Mother Superior, "However, despite all the evidence, I don't have the authority to release her. Sharpay is still a minor."

"But she was brought here under false pretenses. Her own mother drugged her, for heaven's sake", Lisa points out.

Sharpay has been unusually silent throughout the whole explanation and has an unreadable expression on her face.

"This is more than we can handle ourselves", states Mother Michel, "I think we need to call the authorities".

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The next three weeks were a whirlwind of activity. As it turned out, the Mother Superior was very old and very dear friends with the chief investigator of government corruption for the state of Colorado. With Mother Michel's friend's help and as the scandal of what happened to Sharpay threatened to hit the media, Judge Mason was allowed to quietly resign. No charges were filed against him in an effort to save his reputation and the reputation of Sharpay, whose name would undoubtedly be dragged through the mud, even if she was a minor.

Judith Evans disappeared as only an extremely wealthy person could, somewhere in Europe. Her U.S. bank accounts were all mysteriously emptied and Ryan found himself with no money and nowhere to live. Chad's family agreed to allow him to stay with them until his father could be found and temporary foster care was awarded to the Danforths. Mrs. Danforth and Ryan bonded immediately over their love for musical theatre.

Sharpay continued to stay at the home until the courts ruled to have her fostered with the Boltons since, as with Ryan, neither of their parents could be located. It was mostly through the tenacious effort of Lisa Bolton that this came to pass. Jack Bolton wasn't thrilled with the idea of having his son's pregnant girlfriend moving in with them.

And Troy... Well, Troy was confused, lost, clueless, as only a teenage boy could be who had just learned that his girlfriend of less than three months was pregnant and apparently from their first encounter. Their reunion didn't go as he had envisioned it.

_Tired of waiting and frustrated with being left out of the action, Troy grabs Chad and storms out of the motel and jumps in Chad's van. _

"_I don't know, man. I still don't think this is such a good idea", says Chad as reluctantly cranks up the van._

"_I can't stand it anymore, Chad. It's been over three and a half hours. I need to be up there; I have to know what's going on and Mom's not picking up her cell. Please, just drive, okay?", Troy pleads._

_Thirty minutes later they pull into a small parking lot and park beside Lisa's car._

_Chad reaches over and grabs Troy's arm before he gets out. "Okay Troy, just promise me you won't do anything stupid, okay?"_

"_Why are people always saying that to me?", Troy says and then adds, "Okay, okay, I promise."_

_They exit the van and walk together up to the entrance to the house. Troy confidently walks up the steps and opens the door. _

"_Slow down, man. They could be, I don't know, in Mass or something", whispers Chad as he looks cautiously around the lobby. He sees Gabriella first as she comes out of a door on the left._

"_Chad, Troy! What are _you_ doing here?", she exclaims as she quickly closes the door behind her._

_Troy is immediately suspicious and says, "What are you trying to hide, Gabriella? Is she in there?"_

"_I just think you need to prepare yourself is all."_

"_Prepare myself? Why? What's wrong? Is she hurt?", he says as his voice rises and he goes to walk pass Gabriella and puts his hand on the door knob._

"_Troy, don't go in there", she pleads._

_Ignoring her, he opens the door and rushes inside. He quickly surveys the room and sees two nuns on the left side of the room near a large oak desk. Sweeping his eyes around, he spots Sharpay sitting on the sofa with his mother speaking in hushed tones. They must have heard the door open because they both look up towards him at the same time. Lisa immediately jumps to her feet and rushes over to Troy. _

"_Oh, Troy. You shouldn't be here yet. There's a lot to explain and I think I should talk to you alone first", Lisa says as she tries to pull him out of the room._

_Troy shakes her hand off his arm and makes his way over to Sharpay who has gone, suddenly, very pale. _

"_Sharpay, I've missed you so very much", Troy says, almost reverently._

_He immediately notices the cast on her right arm and gently takes both of her hands in his and pulls her to a standing position. Then, he warmly pulls her into a hug. She is stiff in his arms and that surprises him at first, but that initial surprise is suddenly overshadowed by his second surprise when he realizes that she feels very different than when he hugged her last, eight weeks ago. He pulls back to get a better look at her and his jaw drops in shock. She sees his reaction and casts her eyes down to the ground as her eyes well up with tears._

_Troy's heart is pounding in his chest. He can't breath. He breaks out in a cold chill and his eyesight narrows to a pinpoint. If he doesn't get out of there, he knows he's going to pass out. He backs away slowly from Sharpay who is still looking down. _

_Chad has followed Troy into the room and his voice breaks Troy out of his trance, "Oh my God, she's pregnant!"_

_Troy turns and bolts from the room and then the house as quickly as he can. He just starts running down the steep road which he and Chad had just driven up minutes earlier. It's twenty minutes later, when Chad drives the van up beside him and urges him to get in. No one says a word._

Here comes those three horrid letters...TBC

A/N: Sorry I'm so late with this and the length is not as long as some of my other chapters, but RL has been crazy lately. And for those of you who are upset with how Troy reacted...remember he hasn't had 2 months to get used to the idea, so to say it's a shock is putting it mildly. And he is, after all, just a teenage boy. And also, I know Sharpay seems really OOC lately, but just blame it on the hormones.

A/N 2: For those who a keeping track, the day of the rescue is May 13, 2006.

A/N 3: Medicaid is the health insurance in the US for low-income people and there are lots of things that it doesn't cover.


	22. Ch 21: Homecoming

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue and I don't own McDonald's.

**Chapter 21: Homecoming**

Sharpay is sitting quietly on the love seat in the lobby of the Home, waiting. She is nervously clutching a brown paper grocery bag. It's one o'clock in the afternoon and Mrs. Bolton should be here soon. Sister Mary Elizabeth insisted that she eat lunch before she left, but Sharpay had absolutely no appetite and she actually only moved the food around on her plate while she sat there.

She said goodbye to the friends she made and gave them the Bolton's address and everyone promised to keep in touch. Sharpay then said goodbye to the Sisters especially Sister Mary Elizabeth who managed to teach her more math in two months than she'd learned in the whole year at East High. They were both in tears when they finished. Then, the sister is called away and so Sharpay is sitting alone when the front door opens a few minutes later.

Sharpay looks up expectantly as Lisa Bolton walks through with a bright smile on her face.

"Hi, Sharpay. Are you ready to go?", Lisa asks brightly.

"Yes, ma'am. I think Mother Michel has some paperwork for you, first", Sharpay says quietly.

"Alright, why don't you come in with me?"

"Sure", Sharpay replies as she stands and follows Lisa into the Mother Superior's office.

The paperwork is quick and Mother Michel hands Sharpay's medical and legal documents to Lisa. After a heart-felt goodbye between Mother Michel and Sharpay, they head out the door.

As they settle into the car for the long drive back to Albuquerque, Lisa notices what Sharpay is carrying, the brown paper grocery bag.

"Is that all you have, Sharpay?", Lisa asks with concern.

"Yes, ma'am. I didn't have anything when I got here and Mother Michel let me take three outfits from the lending closet."

"Well, we'll just have to do some shopping when we get back home."

Sharpay's eyes light up when Lisa says shopping, but then she becomes solemn again. "Oh, you don't have to buy anything for me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I've always wanted a daughter to go shopping with."

"A daughter?", Sharpay asks nervously.

"Yes, Sharpay. I'm starting to think of you that way. Is that okay with you? Does it bother you?"

"Oh, no. I only wish you were my real mother."

"That's very sweet of you, but you've never seen me in the mornings before I've had my first cup of coffee. Just ask Troy...", Lisa trails off as she realizes that she has already broken the promise she made to herself --- namely to avoid all mention of Troy Bolton, as least for the time being.

"Troy...", Sharpay mumbles.

"Yes, Troy", Lisa says with a sigh.

"How...how is he?"

"I'm really not sure, actually. We haven't seen much of him these past few weeks. He started a summer job and even when he's home, he doesn't talk. But that's going to change when we get back. You two _are_ going to talk."

"Oh, please don't do anything that will make things worse."

"Nonsense. The way he treated you was disgraceful."

"But forcing him to do something against his will is only going to make things worse. He has to want to talk to me."

"He's stubborn; he gets that from his father."

"His father, uh?", Sharpay says slyly.

"You're awfully wise for someone so young, you know that?"

Sharpay shrugs and says, "Must be because I'm a woman."

"Oh, I think we're going to get along just fine, Sharpay. Finally, I have someone who can help me even the odds against all those men in my house."

Lisa reaches over and turns on the CD player and suddenly Idina Menzel's voice fills the small car as she performs the song, "Defying Gravity", from Wicked, the Musical.

"That's from Wicked!", Sharpay points out excitedly, "I love that show. Mother took me and Ryan to the Broadway premiere three years ago. Idina Menzel is fantastic; I got to meet her backstage and got her autograph."

"Wow, a Broadway premiere. I can only imagine. Some friends and I went to see it in Denver earlier this year and I just loved the book. Have you read it?", Lisa asks with interest. It is good to honestly bond with Sharpay in an area they both love.

"Oh yes, I loved it. In fact, my copy is so dog-eared ...", she trails off sadly, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've got to stop doing that, don't I? I don't, actually, have a copy anymore."

"We'll get you a new one, dear", Lisa promises, "Now let's start Defying Gravity over again. It's my favorite."

They spend the next few hours discussing Broadway shows and listening to Lisa's collection of show tunes. Sharpay thoroughly enjoys talking to Mrs. Bolton. She still has trouble thinking of her as Lisa. Sharpay explains how her mother never really liked Broadway. Judith preferred opera and orchestras and thought Broadway was only for the masses. The only reason she took them to see Wicked is because of the connections she thought she could foster with the people there.

After about three hours, Lisa notices that Sharpay is fiddling with her seat belt and lifting it off her lower abdomen, trying to get comfortable.

"You need to take a break, Sharpay?", Lisa suggests.

"Actually, that would be great. It seems like I have to go to the bathroom all the time, now", Sharpay sighs.

"I hate to tell you this, but it only gets worse, dear. How about lunch? We could stop for burgers."

"That sounds wonderful. I wasn't very hungry at lunch time, but now I'm starved."

"McDonald's, okay with you?"

"Great! I never get to eat there --- too many fat grams, you know?"

"Well, if you don't tell, then I won't either."

They both go to the restroom as soon as they enter the restaurant. Then, they go to the front to order. It's mid-afternoon, so it's not crowded. Lisa orders a grilled chicken Caesar salad and Sharpay indulges herself with a Big Mac Extra Value Meal and a large strawberry milkshake.

"Yummy, that was absolutely wonderful", Sharpay says contentedly as she pats her tummy in a very unladylike manner. Then, she leans towards Lisa and says in a conspiratorially, "It's a good thing these maternity shorts are so stretchy."

Lisa smiles as she says, "At least you have an excuse." Then, she looks at her watch and exclaims, "Oh, I didn't realize it was getting so late; we'd better get going."

"I think I'll make one more stop in the ladies room before we leave."

"Sure, I'm going to get a drink refill. I'll meet you in the front."

"Okay, um, could you, maybe get me another shake, please?"

"Another one? Sure, sweetie, I'll get you one."

The rest of the trip is uneventful and, except for two more 'potty' breaks, they drive straight through.

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"Well, here we are", Lisa announces as she stands at the front door and they prepare to enter the Bolton's house. "Now, don't worry about anything and I'll handle Jack."

Lisa has already explained during the trip that Coach Bolton still has huge reservations about Sharpay staying with them. However, Lisa also explained that she is sure he will come around. It's just that Bolton stubborn streak. Therefore, you can imagine their surprise when Jack greets them with a huge smile on his face and pulls Sharpay into an affectionate hug.

"Welcome to our home, Sharpay", Jack says sincerely as he releases her from the hug. "You two are just in time. I'm about to put the steaks on the grill. Hope you're hungry." The Bolton family tradition of grilling on Friday nights has been put on hold these last few weeks. Lisa's time has been filled with trying to obtain custody of Sharpay, Troy has barely been home and Jack has just felt left out and still disgruntled over the whole 'girlfriend moving in' thing.

Then Jack becomes more serious as he faces Lisa, "Troy's not here. He called to say that he's working over, again."

"Um, uh", Lisa sputters, still stunned at the turn-around in her husbands behavior. "Yes, we're hungry. Right, Sharpay?", Sharpay nods in agreement, "I'll just show her to her room and give her a quick tour."

Jack goes back to the kitchen to retrieve the steaks from the refrigerator and Lisa walks Sharpay down the hallway towards the bedrooms. The Bolton's bedroom is at the end of the hall and they have their own en-suite bathroom accessed directly from their room. The first bedroom in the hall is Troy's and looks like a real guy's room with sports trophies, sports equipment, dirty clothes and just overall messing in appearance. Across from Troy's room is the hall bathroom. Troy and Sharpay will have to share. Sharpay will be staying in the former guest room next to Troy's. It's smaller than Troy's, but is nicely decorated and slightly feminine.

"Why don't I leave you here to rest for a bit and I'll call you when dinner's ready?", Lisa tells Sharpay as she thinking to herself that she really needs to talk with that husband of hers.

"I could help with the dinner", Sharpay offers.

"No that's no problem. Take it easy for now; you've had a busy day."

Sharpay agrees with that assessment and gratefully lies back on the bed to rest. This is so much better than the hard over-bleached, over-starched sheets back at the Home.

"Alright, Jack Bolton. You've got some explaining to do", Lisa says as she charges out to the patio where Jack is just about to start grilling.

"What...what did I do now?", Jack responses, confused.

"When I left this morning, you were still threatening to make that poor girl sleep in the garage. Now, you're welcoming her like she's a long lost daughter. Now understand, I'm not complaining; I just want an explanation."

"Well, I've just been doing some thinking...", Jack starts.

"And?", Lisa prompts. _Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get him to say anything and other times, I can't shut him up._

"Okay, it's like this. I needed to get something out of the attic this morning --- some magazines."

"Magazines? What magazines? I thought we took all those old magazines to the dump."

"Yeah, 'bout that... See I hid a few of the really good ones away in the attic. You know the classics. Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is...I saw some other stuff up there and it got me to thinking."

"What other stuff?", Lisa asks suspiciously.

"You know...stuff", Jacks hedges.

"Oh for crying out loud, Jack, just cut to the chase", Lisa says exasperatingly.

"Troy's baby things, okay? You know...the bassinet, the crib, the swing, the Johnny-Jumper. You remember how he used to love that thing --- bouncing up and down for hours on end."

"Yeah, I remember", Lisa says sadly as she also remembers why everything is still in the attic and how she never had the heart to get it down and donate it or even to look at it since...

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up again", Jack says comfortingly as he wraps his arms around her and tucks her head under his chin.

When Troy was around two, Jack and Lisa decided to try for another baby. They didn't want Troy to grow up a 'lonely-only'. Getting pregnant wasn't the problem, but staying pregnant was. After two devastating miscarriages and the still birth of Troy's premature little sister, they gave up trying. All of Troy's infant things were just left in the attic and forgotten. Well, not really forgotten, they never forgot. They just pushed it from their minds.

"So I started thinking, how would I feel if I was a pregnant teenage girl with no place to go?", Jack says seriously as he rubs small circles around on Lisa back.

Lisa can't help it; she pushes herself away and starts giggling uncontrollable. She manages to choke out, "You're kidding."

"Hey! I'm trying to carry on a serious discussion here", Jack says in mock indignation. "I really did. I thought the last thing I need is a butt-head Coach making my life miserable. So I decided to try, really try, to accept her into our home, okay?"

Lisa stops giggling immediately and wraps her arms back around her husband. "This is why I married you, you know? I love you, Jack Bolton"

"I get that from all the hot chicks. But I always thought it was my award-winning steaks which I need to put on the grill now, if we plan on eating them anytime soon."

_Wow, that's what a real family is like. I wish I had that,_ thinks Sharpay as she observes them unnoticed from the living room She turns around and heads back to her room, quietly.

Dinner is pleasant and somewhat surreal. There is no mention of babies or whacky mothers or court cases or even one, Troy Bolton. After dinner, Sharpay helps with the dishes as if she's lived there forever. The Boltons settle down to watch a movie that Lisa, reluctantly let Jack pick out. It is one of those 'Jack Ryan' spy movies which Lisa so despises, but after all the wonderful things he said and did earlier, she is willing to watch the whole series, if he wants. Sharpay is exhausted and after a quick shower, puts on Coach Bolton t-shirt, which Lisa gave her earlier, and heads straight to bed.

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Sharpay can't sleep, so she decides that a little midnight snack might do the trick. She makes her way down the hall to the kitchen and fixes herself a bowl of vanilla ice cream. This is a indulgence she was never allowed before, so she was relishing it. She sits down at the kitchen table and digs into the bowl of decadent goodness. The quiet in the room allows her to think, even if that isn't what she wants.

She hasn't spoken to Troy since she last saw him three weeks ago. Well, she didn't actually speak to him then. She knew it would be a shock for him to see her, but his reaction shook her to the core. He ran away. What was he thinking? This isn't a problem he can just run away from. It's not going to just go away. They made a baby --- a real live, flesh and blood baby who is currently giving her horrible indigestion.

She is just about to give up on the ice cream and head back to bed, when she hears the back door open. Mrs. Bolton left the light on above the sink, presumably for when Troy came in. And here he is. Sharpay is sitting at the table, shrouded in shadows and he obviously doesn't realize she's there. He looks tired as he drops a gym bag on the floor with a loud clunk and walks towards the refrigerator. Her heart can't help but speed up as she looks at him and all her anger that had been building up minutes before evaporates on the spot.

"Hi", she says in a clear voice, which doesn't disclose the stress she's feeling.

"Ahhh!", Troy yells as the orange juice container he is getting out of the refrigerator hits the floor with a bang and juice starts oozing on over the kitchen floor. "Damnit!", he shouts as he jumps back from the spill and looks up to see Sharpay handing him a wad of paper towels that she has just ripped off the roll when she ran across the room to help. She quickly picks up the broken juice container and deposits it in the sink. Then, she grabs another handful of paper towels and gets down on her knees to start cleaning up the spill.

Troy is still standing there in stunned silence holding numbly onto the paper towels Sharpay just shoved into his hands. Through his daze he realizes that Sharpay is wearing one of his dad's East High Athletic Boosters t-shirts and that it has _never _looked that good on him.

"Well?", Sharpay says in a huff, "Are you just going to stand there? This is your fault, you know."

"Yeah, I know it's my fault and I'm sorry", he says solemnly as he joins her on the floor.

She looks up at him suddenly and realizes that he's not just talking about orange juice. Sharpay starts to study his face in the light shining out from the open refrigerator door. He did look tired --- dead tired, like he hadn't slept in weeks --- _three_ of them, to be exact. _Well, good!_, she thinks, _it's about time he started having some sleepless nights. Too bad I can't figure out a way to give him morning sickness._

Troy rises slowly from the floor and takes Sharpay's towel from her. He puts it in the trash with his and returns to her and offers her his hand. She reluctantly takes it and he leads her back over to the kitchen table.

"I didn't know you were here yet", Troy says as he leaves her to go back to the spill. He finishes cleaning it up completely as Sharpay just sits and watches him silently.

He brings her a warm soapy dish cloth for her sticky hands and sits down in a chair across from her, clearly trying to keep his distance from her.

"I'm sorry", Troy says again, as he stares at the pattern on the tablecloth.

"You said that already", Sharpay states coldly. She had no intention of making this easy for him. She is barely looking at him as she languidly stirs her now-melted ice cream around in the bowl.

"It's just,...,well, a shock, I guess", he says timidly. "I didn't know how to react, so..."

"So, you ran away", Sharpay finishes for him.

"Um, yeah. Not one of my prouder moments", Troy says as he awkwardly starts rubbing the back of his neck, trying to ease the sudden muscle tension there. It's as though eliminating the tension in his neck would somehow eliminate the tension in the room. Neither one is working.

"How do you think that made me feel?", she asks.

He moves his hand off his neck and clasps both of his hands in front of him on the table. "To be honest, I wasn't really thinking about anything at the time. I was just scared, scared to death, scared of life, scared of growing up too fast, all of that and more. It was a stupid thing to do."

"Finally, we agree on something", she says flatly.

"When did you get here?", Troy says, trying disparately to steer the conversation away from where it is heading --- his imminent death.

"Your mom picked me up today around one and we got here around seven tonight. I'm sleeping in the guest room."

"That's right next to my room."

"Oooh, lucky me", she says sarcastically.

"You don't have to be that way. I'm trying to apologize; I know I screwed up."

"Bad choice of words, Bolton. I guess I should be lucky you even believe it's yours."

"Oh, no. I never even thought that. Well, the timing alone makes it impossible not to be mine, right? My mom said you're at about eighteen weeks, right? Well, that puts conception right at the night of the party with your last menstrual cycle around the beginning of February."

Sharpay's brow wrinkles in concentration. "How do you know all that? About cycles and how pregnancies are counted and all?"

Troy ducks his head down and looks at his clasped hands. "I've been reading up on it. I bought a book, What to Expect When You're Expecting", he says shyly.

"Really?", she asks incredulously. _God, he's so sweet. He's reading about pregnancy just for me. Stop that! You're supposed to be making him suffer._

"Yeah, I figured I was behind the curve enough as it was and had some catching up to do. So, how are you doing? I mean,...,the book says you should be over morning sickness by now. Is that right?"

"Um, yeah, for the most part. Certain smells will still set it off, but it's not bad anymore. The worse thing right now is the indigestion...hey, stop this, right now! Don't you dare think you're just going to start acting all concerned about me and I'm suddenly going to forget what you did to me...how you made me feel..."

"I know, I know, but I'm trying so hard here. Wait, let me get something", Troy says as he hops up from the chair and runs over to retrieve the gym bag he dropped by the door when he came in. "I got a job."

"Yeah, your mom told me."

"Right. It's at Home Depot --- full time. And they give me lots of overtime. That's where I was tonight. And well, I got you this", he finishes as he reaches in his bag and pulls out a small black velvet box and places it on the table in front of her. He's still too skittish to get any closer.

"What's this?", Sharpay asks cautiously as her heart speeds up, but she makes no move to even touch it.

"Please, just open it."

Reluctantly, she reaches over and opens the small box with trembling fingers. _Oh, no! _ Just what she thought it was. Nestled lovingly on black satin cloth is a diamond solitaire ring.

"I just went with the standard solitaire ring. The jeweler said that's the classic setting. I had to guess on the size, but the jeweler says we can come in together to get it sized to fit you. I checked the law and found out that under the circumstances my parents can give us permission to get married since we're both minors and both under their care", Troy trails off as he realizes he's babbling and more importantly that Sharpay isn't saying anything and isn't making any move to take the ring out of the box.

"Here, let me", he offers and he takes the box from the fingers and starts to remove the ring.

"No", she states clearly and simply.

Troy puts the box down on the table.

"What? You don't like it? I...I know it's not much, but it's all I could afford right now. I can get you a bigger one later, of course."

"No, I mean ... it's beautiful; it really is, but I can't marry you. This isn't right. We would be marrying for all the wrong reasons --- you because you feel it's the _right_ thing to do and me because I'm too scared to do things on my own."

"But it _is_ the right thing to do, Sharpay. I love you."

"I love you, too", she says and then realizes she really does and she has finally said it when she least expected to utter those words, "but I don't think we know each other well enough for marriage. That's supposed to be for life. I want what your parents have, not what my parents were forced into."

Troy doesn't quite understand what's she talking about since he really doesn't know much about the Evans family. He did know Sharpay's parents were divorced and apparently their dad had disappeared when she was five years old. He definitely didn't want anything like that to happen. That _couldn't_ happen to them, could it?

"So what do _you_ want to happen?", Troy asks.

"Well first, keep that", she says, indicating the box which is sitting on the table between them, "but don't return it, not yet. And I'd like to get to know you better. I'd like a proper courting."

"_Courting_?", Troy asks with his brows knitted tightly together.

"Yeah, like in the Little House on the Prairie books. I just loved those when I was a kid. I want to be wooed. I want to go on dates --- real dates, with food and movies and talking. And I want to be out in the open, not hiding in some back stairwell or meeting after dark. Got it?", she finishes a little more forcefully than she intended.

Troy's face cracks into a smile and he slowly rises and approaches her side of the table. He offers her his hand, very formally. She smiles back shyly and places her hand in his.

"Hello, I'm Troy Bolton and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Sharpay giggles sweetly and she blushes as she says, "Hello, Troy Bolton. I'm Sharpay Evans and the pleasure's all mine."

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"See, I told you they could work it out", a female voice says, smugly.

"Yeah, I suppose you were right, but I'm still surprised she didn't slug him", concedes a male voice.

"Yeah, me too. Come on, we'd better get back to bed before they catch us eavesdropping."

Mr. and Mrs. Bolton quietly slip back down the hall.

TBC

Surprise, surprise. A quick update. I'm going to be really busy later this week, so I actually got it finished early. Please let me know what you think. I am especially proud of the little, short scene with the Bolton on the patio.

**Special thanks to ****Bl1SSFuln3ss for the line about Troy not being able to run away from his problems. Hey you! LOL**

A/N 1: For those keeping track, it's now June 3, 2006 --- 18 weeks pregnant.

A/N 2: Remember, in my world, the Boltons do not live in that fabulous house you saw in the HSM. It's a 3 bedroom ranch, more typical of what you'd expect from the high school coach's salary.

A/N 3: About Wicked... The play is based on a book called Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I haven't read it, but I plan on doing so this summer.


	23. Ch 22: Shopping,CloseCall,Reconciliation

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 22: Shopping, Close Calls and Reconciliations**

_Sharpay is sleeping on her back in the bed she is sharing with Troy. It is unseasonably warm and she is sleeping on only her bra and panties and she has flung the sheets off to the floor. Troy is leaning gently over her; trying to avoid putting any weight on her stomach. His shaggy brown hair is brushing against her bra and she can feel her nipples becoming hard from the friction. He is slowly leaving a trail of warm, wet kisses upwards towards her face. She is quickly becoming aroused by what he is doing to her body and her own thoughts of what they will soon be doing together._

Suddenly, the door is thrown open and Troy's mom breezes into the room.

"What is that dog doing in the bed? Buddy! Down, boy! Come on, Buddy, you're going outside", Lisa Bolton yells at the family's black Labrador Retriever, Buddy, as she pulls him off of Sharpay's bed. At the same time, Sharpay's eyes fly open and she quickly reaches for the sheets up to cover herself. She is blushing furiously and can't believe she was becoming sexually excited from being licked by the Bolton family dog.

"I'm so sorry, Sharpay", Lisa apologizes, casually, "I don't know how he got in here, but I've been looking for him for the last thirty minutes. Anyway, I'm going to be starting breakfast soon, if you'd like to join us?"

"Um, sure", she replies awkwardly and adds, "Do I have time for a shower?"

"Yes, you should have time, but I'd hurry if I was you. Troy's just waking up too and you'll want to get there before him. I swear that boy spends more time in the bathroom than I do", Lisa explains.

Lisa then leaves, dragging the dog with her.

Sharpay quickly sits up and throws Coach Bolton's t-shirt back on and hurries to the door.

Troy is walking slowly out of his room when Sharpay calls his name from down the hall. His mom woke him up about ten minutes earlier when he was right in the middle of a fantastic dream about Sharpay sleeping in only her bra and panties. His sleep-addled mind is slow to understand what's happening when he turns away from the bathroom as he sees Sharpay coming towards him with a smile on her face. Still thinking about his dream, he smiles back automatically and walks towards her to give her a good morning hug, thinking that's why she's walking towards him.

Sharpay quickly dodges past Troy and makes a bee-line straight to the bathroom. She stops momentarily and turns around to flash a perfect smile at Troy and then slams the door in triumphant.

Troy is standing in front of the bathroom door with a dumb-founded expression on his face as he hears the shower turn on. Jack walks out of his room at the far end of the hall and passes by Troy. He immediately understands Troy's dilemma and says compassionately, "I know how you feel Troy. I've been sharing a bathroom with your mother for almost twenty years now. Why don't you use my bathroom?"

"Thanks, Dad." This is definitely going to take some adjusting.

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Thirty minutes later, Sharpay enters the kitchen, freshly showered with her hair combed out, but still wet. She is wearing the same stylish pink blouse and black capris which she wore when she saw her mother at the Home. The smell of bacon is in the air and Sharpay stomach lets out a loud rumble.

"Good morning, Sharpay", Lisa greets brightly as she expertly turns the bacon in the large cast-iron skillet, "breakfast will be up in a few minutes. Help yourself to some orange juice."

"Thank you. It smells great in here", Sharpay replies as she heads over to the refrigerator.

"How did you sleep, dear?"

"Oh, great. Your sheets are tons softer than the Home", Sharpay replies as she finds a glass and starts to pour her juice.

"I wanted to apologize again about Buddy. We'll have to make sure he's locked up in Troy's room from now on. That's where he usually sleeps. I'm surprised he went in your room. He must really like you. He didn't crush you, did he?", Lisa asks with concern.

"Oh no, in fact I didn't even realize he was there until you came in." _Well, that's the truth, isn't it?_

"Good. Oh Sharpay, would you set the table, please? You'll find the plates in the cabinet above the toaster and the silverware is in that top drawer", Lisa says as she indicates a drawer next to the dishwasher.

"Sure, no problem", Sharpay replies. As she is pulling the dishes out of the cabinet, only slightly awkward because of the cast on her arm, she has a sudden realization. Lisa isn't treating her like a guest; she's treating her like a member of the family. It's a good feeling.

Ten minutes later, Coach Bolton and Troy join them at the table and they enjoy a home-cooked meal of bacon, eggs, fruit and toast. Their conversation is light and casual. The Boltons notice the change between Troy and Sharpay (change for the better), but make no mention of it.

"Sharpay, I thought we could go shopping today --- pick you up a few things", Lisa suggest as she sips her coffee at the end of the meal.

"You really don't have to do that, Mrs...um, Lisa. I can make do", Sharpay protests. She still really uncomfortable calling her by her first name.

"Oh, don't be silly. I love any excuse to go shopping."

"She's telling the truth about that", Jack puts in, "plus, you look like you're about to bust right out of _those_ clothes...ouch...Hey! Why'd you do that?" Jack reaches down to rub his sore leg that Lisa just kicked from under the table.

Lisa leans in closer to Jack. "Next time...it won't be your leg", she warns, through gritted teeth.

Sharpay just blushes as she pulls awkwardly at her blouse. It is getting a little snug, but most of the tightness is in her breasts, which made the whole situation even more awkward.

Troy just rolls his eyes at his dad's comment and tries his best to not scrutinize Sharpay's clothing. He'll take a look later, when no one is watching.

"Well, I really need to get going anyway. I've got that _thing_ to do, you know", Jack announces as he rises quickly from his seat and limps out the back door.

"Um...yeah. I've got to go too. I have to be at work in half-an-hour", Troy says as he leans toward Sharpay and pulls back when he looks over at his mother.

"Oh! Let me get started on these dishes, so we can get going. Excuse me", Lisa announces as she gets up and starts towards the kitchen sink.

Troy turns back to Sharpay and gives her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I want to spend more time with you, but they really need me on the weekends. It's crazy there on Saturdays and Sundays." He slowly leans towards her again and asks, "Um, may I?", as he leans his head towards her mouth for a kiss. She turns her face at the last minute and the kiss lands on her cheek instead.

"We haven't even had that first date yet, remember?", Sharpay explains and she reaches up and returns the cheek kiss with one of her own.

"Right", Troy says as he straightens and runs his hand through his hair, nervously. "I don't have to work on Thursday, so I was wondering if you'd like to go out Wednesday night. You know _with food and movies and talking_, a real date, just like you said last night."

"That sounds like a great idea. Then, you can get started on all that wooing", Sharpay says with a smile.

"Woo woo", Troy says, like the sound a choo choo train makes.

"Ha ha, you'd better get going before you're late."

"Okay, have fun with Mom."

"You know, actually, I think it's going to be a blast."

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Four hours later, Sharpay is slowly dragging behind an energized Mrs. Bolton. Lisa is carrying four large shopping bags and Sharpay is carrying three smaller ones. They have just come out of J.C. Penney's and Sharpay has never tried on more clothes in her life. Mrs. Bolton is a shopping powerhouse.

"Um, Mrs. Bolton,...,Lisa, please slow down", Sharpay calls as she tries to catch her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I get a little carried away. I haven't had this much fun in years", Lisa says gleefully when Sharpay reaches her.

Sharpay plops down on a near-by bench.

"No, this really is fun, but I'm just dead tired. You think we could take a break?", Sharpay asks pleadingly.

"Well, I did want to go to one more shop before lunch, if that's alright with you, of course."

"But what else could I possibly need? You've already bought me a completely new wardrobe."

"I want to take you to the maternity specialty store for some good bras", Lisa says bluntly.

"Bras?", Sharpay says in surprise, "They make special _pregnancy_ bras?"

"Well no, not exactly, and the ones they sell at the chain stores are okay, but you need better than _okay_. And,..Sharpay, dear, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you planning on nursing?"

This question takes Sharpay completely by surprise and tears spring quickly to her eyes.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. What did I say?", Lisa asks with concern as she sits down beside her on the bench. She wraps an arm around Sharpay to comfort her even though she's not quite sure why she doing so. _Just those pesky hormones, I guess._

"No, it's not you. It's just until three weeks ago, I thought I'd have to give the baby up, so I never let myself think that far ahead", Sharpay says with a sniffle, "But I'd like to, now that I know I have the chance. I mean it's what's best for the baby, right? But why are you asking that question so soon? That's still months away."

Lisa hands Sharpay a tissue that seems to appear from nowhere.

"Well, since you'll be needing bigger bras anyway, it's best to just buy a larger nursing bra now and wear that while you're pregnant", Lisa explains, "and you'll be set when the baby comes." It was one of the best pieces of advice she ever received and although she didn't think she'd be passing on this knowledge to the mother of her grandchild quite so soon, she is glad to do so.

"That makes sense, but it'll seem kind of weird to wear one of those before I need it."

Lisa has to bite her tongue to stop from telling Sharpay how handy Jack thought those bras were when she was expecting Troy. Instead, she says, sagely, "That baby will be here before you know it."

So they make their way to New Additions, the mall's nicest maternity specialty store. Sharpay must admit their merchandise is fabulous and fabulously expensive. It's a thought she wouldn't have had only three short months ago. However, a lot has changed in those three months and she's done a lot of growing up, with a lot more still to come. Mrs. Bolton has wandered off and is in the back of the store. Sharpay is looking through the clearance rack in the front of the store. The clearance rack which held things that still cost more than Target and Penney's everyday prices. She is so intent on looking through the clothing that she doesn't realize anyone's there until a shrill voice causes her head to jerk up.

"Sharpay! I didn't know you were back in town! I thought you were still in South America!"

_Oh, no!_ It's Melissa, the chirpest, most annoying cheerleader in the school. She's also the biggest gossip in town. The only time she's ever nice to anyone outside her clique is when she's trying to find out some dirt on them. Luckily, Sharpay is standing with the clothes rack between them. Sharpay is so stunned at seeing Melissa that she doesn't realize Melissa's been talking the whole time.

"...and so it was no surprise when I made captain of the cheerleading squad. I mean _who_ else could possibly do the job, right? And by the way, what in the world are you doing in a store like this?", Melissa finishes with a suspicious look on her face as she finally stops for a breath.

Mrs. Bolton picks the exact wrong time to walk up. She is carrying a bra in each hand.

"Sharpay, what do you think about these two, dear? This one clasps at the top; it's the most traditional and this one", she says indicating the one in her left hand, "clasps down at the bottom, like a front closure bra would."

At that moment, Lisa realizes Sharpay hasn't said anything and she looks up to see a look of pure horror on Sharpay's face. Then, Lisa sees the other girl standing opposite the clothing rack and she quickly puts two and two together.

"Oh, hello. Are you a friend of Sharpay's?", Lisa asks pleasantly.

Sharpay's mouth just opens and closes like a gasping fish.

"Hi, I'm Melissa. I'm the captain of East High's varsity cheerleading squad. Are you Mrs. Evans?", Melissa asks with interest. It is common knowledge that the Evans family is absurdly rich and Melissa never misses an opportunity to schmooze.

"Please forgive my rudeness. Yes, I'm Judith Evans and Sharpay and I are here to buy some things for Sharpay's cousin, my niece", Lisa explains without hesitation, "She's expecting her first in a few months and we're picking her out a couple of nursing bras. Perhaps you could help. Which do you think would work best?"

"Nursing bras?", Melissa repeats with disgust in her voice.

"Yes, see how they open", Lisa says as she demonstrates opening and closing the flap. Melissa face becomes quite hideous as she scrunches it up.

"That's disgusting. I can't imagine letting anyone, particularly a baby, touch me there with its mouth. Eww!"

Melissa turns back to Sharpay and instantly changes back to the overly cheerful teenager. "Maybe we can catch up later. I've got to run. Some friends and me are meeting in the food court."

Sharpay just nods and waves goodbye, weakly. Sharpay looks over at Lisa gratefully and says, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Bolton. You were fantastic. She's the biggest gossip in school."

"No problem. She seems like a ruthless girl to me", Lisa says and then adds with a wink, "and just call me, Mom."

They decide to go with the traditional top closure bra and Lisa buys three of them. Then, a relieved Sharpay follows Lisa back to the car and they go to lunch, someplace other than the food court.

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Troy is home by dinner and the four of them have a light meal together and discuss the upcoming week. Jack starts coaching basketball camp the next day. That's the same camp that Troy was suppose to help him with, but now that he has a full time job, he can't be an assistant. Chad has agreed to help Coach Bolton, instead.

Lisa is teaching at a day camp her preschool is sponsoring which leaves Sharpay alone all day.

"Well, I was going to wait to bring this up, but", Lisa hesitates as she tries to steal herself, "Ryan's been calling and he wants to talk to you."

"Ryan?", Sharpay says in anger, "Why would I want to talk to him?"

She never saw Ryan when he came to Colorado with the 'rescue' party. The last she was of her brother he was scheming against her to get his precious watch, phone and car privileges back.

"Well, to be honest Sharpay, we would never have found you if it wasn't for Ryan. He found the clues that lead us straight to you", Troy explains.

"And he gave me your driver's license and passport which proved invaluable in identifying you", Lisa adds to a skeptical looking Sharpay.

"I'll ... think about it, okay?", Sharpay relents, "But I'm not promising anything." She adds as she stabs her salad onto her fork with much more force than required.

"That's all I'm asking dear", Lisa says sympathetically. "I'll leave you his number. He's staying at the Danforth's, for now."

"With Chad?", Sharpay asks incredulously.

"They were granted temporary custody; just like we were with you."

"Temporary?", Sharpay asks nervously, "I knew it was considered foster care, but why is it temporary?"

"It's while they're searching for your father, Sharpay", Jack adds.

"My father doesn't need to be found." The viciousness in her voice surprises everyone at the table. "I told _you_ about him, Mrs. Bolton. I don't want to find_ him_ and I doubt he wants to _be_ found."

"But he's your father, Sharpay. Doesn't he deserve a chance to tell his own story?"

"No, and I don't want to talk about this anymore", Sharpay says and that effectively ends the conversation.

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After two days of total boredom and loneliness, it's gotten so bad that Sharpay has actually started flipping through Mrs. Bolton's womens magazines and has already planned the family dinners for the rest of the week. Therefore, by Tuesday afternoon, Sharpay finally decides to call Ryan.

She nervously picks up the phone and dials his number. Ryan picks up after the fourth ring.

"Hello?", he asks loudly and to someone in the background, yells, "Turn it down! Will ya? I can't hear myself talk." And then, "Alright, alright! I'm going outside. Just don't break anything, okay?"

Then, Sharpay can hear a door open and shut and the other end of the line is immediately quiet.

"Sorry about that. It gets pretty wild around here sometimes...Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Ryan?...It's me, Sharpay", she says nervously, "Look, if you're having a party or something, I can call back later."

"Sharpay!", Ryan says excitedly, "Oh! Are you okay? Is everything alright? Where are you?" Then, remembering what she just said, adds, "A party? Like I wish. No, it's Chad's little sister and her friends. Somehow living here has gotten me wrangled into babysitting the terrible trio and all they want to do all day is play Dance-Dance-Revolution. Hey, you should come over. You're better at DDR than anyone I've ever seen."

Sharpay automatically pats her stomach and says a little sadly, "I don't really think that's such a good idea, right now."

"Oh, please Shar. Come on. At least come over, okay? I need some adult company", pleads Ryan.

Here she is, all prepared to be angry and vicious to Ryan and that simple little whine in his voice has her instantly melting.

"I can't...I don't have a car", Sharpay explains.

"Me neither...How the mighty have fallen, huh? Wait...I have an idea. Let's meet at Stardust Skies Park. It's about equal distance for both of us and it'll get the rug rats out of the house. How 'bout it, Shar? Please."

She lets out a deep breath. "Alright, I'll meet you there in about thirty minutes, okay?"

"Great, we'll meet you at the swings. I'll be the _hunky_ nanny with three tweens."

"Oh, Ryan, that can't possibly be true. You're not that hunky", Sharpay replies with a chuckle. Maybe talking to Ryan won't be so bad after all.

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Stardust Skies Park is one of many multi-purpose public parks in the city of Albuquerque. It has a soccer field, a baseball field, and a small playground all surrounded by expensive to maintain grass that takes a ton of money to keep alive through an automatic sprinkler system. If it's in Albuquerque and it's green, it has to be watered. Sharpay actually arrives there well before Ryan. She sits down on a bench near the swings and takes a drink of water from the bottle she brought with her. She learned at the Home about how important it is that she stay hydrated, even if it did mean going to the bathroom even more often. The park is nearly deserted. The only other people there are a woman and her child, a little boy who appears to be about two years old. Sharpay finds herself watching them rather intently. She has never been one to pay too much attention to children before. She was never interested in babysitting and in fact, small children usually just make her nervous. That's why Sharpay is taken by surprise by just how interested she is in these two. The little boy is currently in the baby-safe swing and even Sharpay can clearly understand the baby-talk he's saying.

"Higher...higher...higher!", he squeaks in excitement. Then, remembering what he's been taught, he adds, belatedly, "Peeez!", ending with his mouth in a wide smile and all his bright white teeth shining beautifully.

"If I push you any higher, I'm going to wrap you around the pole", his mother tells him.

Then just as excitedly as the demands to swing higher, he suddenly starts yelling, "Stop! Stop! Now!"

"Say pl..."

"Peeez", he says before she's even finished. "Down, peez. Down. Wan' sand. Down peez!"

His mother stops the swing and lifts the squirming toddler out of the swing and sets him down safely on the ground. He immediately takes off in the direction of the sandbox which is right next to where Sharpay is sitting. He is happily playing in the white sand; picking it up with his hand and letting it slowly fall back through his fingers.

His mother gratefully sits down on the bench next to Sharpay. She appears to be in her mid-to-late thirties and she's a little overweight. She flashes Sharpay a friendly smile. Sharpay can feel it coming..._oh please, please, don't talk to me._

"Hi, I haven't seen you here before", the woman says pleasantly.

"No, I don't come here often. I'm just waiting for my brother", Sharpay replies, curtly. If I don't show any interest, maybe she'll leave me alone.

Wrong. "Is this your first?", she asks curiously, indicating Sharpay's pregnant tummy.

"Um, yes. I'm almost nineteen weeks", she blurts out. _Why did I say that? Now I'm going to start bonding with her. Oh, hell._

"Really? You're so tiny. I'd have never guessed you were so far along. Jakie there, is my third. I looked like a whale as soon as I hit my second trimester."

Sharpay honestly has no response to this, so she changes the subject slightly. "He's very cute."

"Thanks; looks just like my husband", she says fondly, "Same stubborn streak too."

"I think that's just a male trait, in general."

"Well, now. You're very wise for someone so young."

_Oh, crap. Here it comes._

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, dear?"

"Um, I'm sixteen", Sharpay says and then adds, hastily, "but my birthday's next month. I'll be seventeen, then."

"Seventeen. Are you planning on staying in school, honey? Or are you going to drop out?"

"What's business is it of yours?", Sharpay retorts as she sits up straighter.

"Because I _was_ you, eighteen years ago. That's what business it is of mine. My oldest daughter was born when I was eighteen", she says calmly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just get defensive is all."

"That's understandable. The best offense is a good defense, right?"

"Exactly. Was it hard? Having a baby while you were still in school?"

"Oh, I wasn't in school. I quit. I was too ashamed to show my face. Afraid of what my teachers would think, my so-called friends, everyone really."

"That's why you asked if I was staying in school?"

"That's right. Don't quit. It'll be tough; but if you have the support of your family, you'll make it. Do you have that?", the older woman asks with concern.

"My family? Well, I have a family, yes. They're not mine, exactly. They're my...my boyfriend's family. I'm staying with them."

"Your parents kick you out, dear?"

"Sort of...it's complicated and I don't really want to talk about it, if that's okay with you. But despite everything, it all worked out for you, right? I mean you said you have three children and all."

"Well, it certainly hasn't been easy. After the divorce, Courtney, my oldest daughter, and I were alone for over ten years."

"Alone? But I thought you were happily married with three children?", Sharpay asks, confused.

"My high school boyfriend, Courtney's father, and I married because we both thought it was the right thing to do. I don't blame either one of us, but the marriage only lasted three years. It was ten years later, before I met Bob."

"Oh...he...um...asked me to marry him. I said no."

"Who? Troy?", the woman asks.

"How did you...", Sharpay starts to ask and then trails off as she sees the woman pointing to the back of her right shoulder. Sharpay is wearing a sundress with spaghetti straps and her tattoo with Troy's name engraved on it is clearly visible. "Oh, I forget about that most of the time. But yeah, Troy asked and I said no. It's too soon and we're not ready."

"I knew you were very wise for someone so young", the woman says, repeating her earlier observation.

"Thanks, but I'm not feeling very wise lately", Sharpay says as she rubs her tummy.

"Everyone makes mistakes; if you haven't made any mistakes, then you haven't lived. The important thing to remember is to own up to the choices you've made in life and take responsibility for those choices."

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you sound awfully wise for someone who was a pregnant teenager who dropped out of school."

The woman smiles as she explains, "After I met Bob, I went back, got my GED, went to college, and in between babies, I'm working on my Masters in Family Counseling."

"So you're pretty wise too, huh?"

"Some days...", she says just as Jakie decides to make a run for the monkey bars on the far side of the park. "Well, I guess the break's over. Hang in there, okay? Be strong and whatever is meant to happen will." With that, she runs off across the field to catch up with her son.

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Sharpay is still thinking about everything the woman said when she hears voices approaching from behind her. Looking back, she sees Ryan coming toward her with three girls in tow. They seem to be about ten or eleven years old. Chad's sister is easy to pick out. She has the same mane of frizzy hair as Chad, only hers isn't quite as tall as his.

"Sharpay", Ryan calls to her as they walk up. He quickly pulls her up and engulfs her in a huge embrace. She feels him stiffen for an instant when he realizes how large she is, but he quickly recovers and relaxes again. _At least he didn't run away._ "I've missed you so much and I was so worried about you."

"I missed you too", Sharpay says as she starts to cry.

Ryan pulls back from her and says, "Come on. This is supposed to be a happy time. Don't cry, please."

"Gosh, she really is preggers", exclaims one of the girls in astonishment.

"Shut it, Suzy! You are always saying the stupidest things at the stupidest times", chastises Chad's sister. And then she turns to Sharpay and says, "I'm sorry about her. Just ignore her, that's what we do. I'm Kaitlyn, Chad's sister."

"Hi, I kinda figure that", Sharpay says as she indicates the girl's curly hair.

"Yeah, it's kind of a family trait. We really can't help having this gorgeous hair. It's a blessing...and a curse", Kaitlyn says shrewdly. Then, to her friends, she says, "Come on, let's let the _grown-ups_ talk." And to Ryan, "We'll be over on the other side of the park, okay?"

"Just so long as I can see you", he reminds them.

"No prob."

"There's always _probs_ with you three."

The three girls leave and Ryan and Sharpay sit back down on the bench.

"I can't believe it, Ryan Evans, Mr. Responsibility. Boy, the mighty really have fallen --- fallen right into adulthood."

"Look who's talking?", Ryan says as he indicates her condition.

_Damn hormones._ Sharpay's eyes fill with tears _again_.

"Oh, Ryan. I'm sssoo scared. I don't want to grow up; I'm not ready. Everyone thinks I'm fine and I'm handling everything so well, but I'm not", Sharpay confesses.

Ryan reaching over a pulls her into a comforting hug.

"You're acting, aren't you Shar?"

"Yeah, Mother trained us up since we were five. It's what we do, right?"

"I guess that's really her big legacy to us, right? The inability to let people in, but ability to put up such a good front that no one knows they need to get in, you know?"

"Ryan?", Sharpay says disbelievingly, "that's really insightful. Where'd you get all that from?"

"Just came to me, I guess. So other than not knowing what's going to happen in your life and feeling like it's all falling apart, how's it going? How's your arm? I heard about your fall."

"Oh, it's much better. I'll probably have the cast removed next week and then there's physical therapy. And life ... well, it's interesting. The Boltons are really great. I wish they were my real parents. And Troy,...,well, we're working on it. We're taking a step back, actually, quite a few steps back...more like a couple of football fields, to tell the truth. Anyway, we're starting over in this relationship, if that's what you call it. Our first date is Wednesday."

"First date...Sharpay, if you haven't noticed, you're pregnant with his baby. How can you go on a first date?"

"Because we never had one before. Not a proper first date and I want one, okay?", Sharpay says as her voice rises and she starts to become angry.

"Okay, okay, sorry. I actually think it's a good idea for you guys to take things slowly."

"How about you? How did you end up with a babysitting job?"

"Well, it's really just for the rest of this week. They go to summer camp next week. Hallelujah! They'll be gone for six weeks. The Danforths are really cool for the most part. I mean, they were just caught in a tight bind and needed me to watch the terrors because the regular sitter's in the hospital. It's not like I'm Harry Potter and they make me sleep in a cupboard or anything. Well, Chad probably would, but that's Chad. Besides, I'm not going to be here much longer, anyway."

"What are you talking about? Where are you going?", Sharpay says in a panicked voice.

"They've found Dad!", Ryan says excitedly, "Isn't that great, Shar? I mean I can barely remember what he was like, but what I do remember was nice. Right? Remember when he took us to the zoo when we were four. I remember that so clearly; he pretended to be an elephant and was waving his arms around like a trunk..." Just then, Ryan realizes Sharpay is strangely silent. He looks over at her and is actually frightened by what he sees. Her eyes are wild and her face is red and there is pure hatred in her eyes.

"Shar?", Ryan asks nervously, "what's going on? Are you okay?"

"What's going on?!? How can you ask that? And how can you think of just forgiving him for everything like,...,like...nothing happened? Don't you understand, Ryan, this...all of this...is his fault! He _used_ her. He _left_ her. And that _turned_ her into the monster who raised us...the monster who was going to send my baby to Europe, for God's sake, just so I wouldn't be able to find her."

"Shar, you're scaring me. Calm down and explain to me what you're talking about, because I don't understand any of this."

Sharpay relates to Ryan the story that Judith told her when they had their confrontation in Colorado. When she finishes, she takes a deliberately, slow, deep breath and tries to calm down.

"That doesn't sound anything like the man I've been talking to. They found him a little over a week ago. We've talked a few times and emailed some. He lives in Phoenix and he's coming here in two weeks. I...I think if everything works out okay that I'll probably go stay with him for awhile. You know, to get to know him."

"I wouldn't trust him, Ry. It could be a trap."

"Sharpay, that doesn't make any sense. He sounded happy to talk to me. He ... he said she wouldn't let him contact us before. He tried. He said he used to send us birthday and Christmas presents, but she would just mark them Return to Sender. Sharpay, think about it. All the lies that she's already told. Who's to say she wasn't lying to you about Dad?"

"I don't know anymore. God, this is all so confusing", Sharpay admits as she stands up and starts pacing around the bench.

"Just give him a chance, okay? He's coming here on Saturday. Meet him with me. All three of us will talk. We'll work it out. Think about it, Sharpay, can you honestly tell me you have any bad memories of Dad? Any at all?"

Sharpay stops pacing. "Well, no. I...I guess not. But...that was a long time ago. I could have just forgotten."

"Give him a chance, Shar. Saturday...his plane comes in at three o'clock. Will you meet him, please?"

"Okay, I'll meet him. Where will he be staying? I don't want to meet him in any hotel room or something."

"The Danforths are having him over for dinner. You could come over to their house and we could talk there."

"Okay, I'll see if I can get someone to bring me over there, but I'm not promising anything."

Sharpay looks down to see Ryan looking at her with a funny expression on his face.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?", Sharpay asks self-consciously.

"What? Oh, no. Nothing's wrong at all. It's just ... this sounds so stupid, but you're glowing...just like in every movie you're even seen about pregnant women. You're really glowing."

Sharpay's glow turns into a deep blush that she feels run up to her ears.

"That's really sweet, Ry", Sharpay says as she pulls him up and hugs him, "I really have missed you and I forgot all about being mad at you and reaming you out about all those nasty things you did to me."

"I'm sorry. I was just being stupid, but come on, Shar, it was a _Rolex_", Ryan says the word like it's something out of a sacred text.

"Where is that watch, by the way?"

He just shrugs. "Don't know. She took it with her, I guess."

"Sad, it's all really sad, you know?"

"Hey, we've got each other again and I think we have Dad too."

"We'll see", Sharpay says skeptically.

TBC

Be sure to check out my reposted chapter 14 where I removed all the really good stuff. Sorry, but I think it fits my story better if the only time they did the deed was on that one crazy night...so far, anyway.

A/N 1: Start date: Sunday, June 4, 2006

A/N 2: Please note the waking up dream of Sharpay's is a mirror image of Troy's dream in Chapter 5: And It Will Take Forever to Fade Away.

A/N 3: Regarding Melissa. She's a real person. Sometimes, I think I'm still in Middle School, I'm so childish. Anyway, I discovered a great outlet through my writing. I just make evil characters out of the people I don't like in RL. Then, having vented my frustration through my story, I can turn around and be as sickeningly sweet to her as she is to me. Toodles.

A/N 4: Stardust Skies Park --- yep, it's real. It was the closest park to where I used to live in Albuquerque.


	24. Ch 23: Confrontation

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 22: **

After leaving Ryan at the park, Sharpay enters the Bolton house with light-hearted feeling. The meeting with Ryan went extremely well and despite her misgivings about meeting their father,

she is feeling great. That's why it's really a shock when she hears loud shouts and arguing coming from the living room.

"I can't believe we didn't know about this before, Troy", Jack Bolton yells.

"Really Troy, I'm very disappointed in you. I mean, how long did you think it would be before we found out?", Lisa Bolton says in a slightly calmer voice than her husband.

"Forging my name! Are you insane?", Jack adds.

"You could have come to us and explained that you were having problems in school. You didn't have to cover it up", Lisa, the voice of reason, puts in.

"Well, you're going to summer school and that's that", Jack says and then adds, "And no online or video classes, either. You're getting your butt up at seven in the morning and going to those classes in person, you got it? So, you'd just better adjust your work schedule around class or you'll have to quit your job."

"I'll go to the classes, but I can't quit work. I _need_ to work, Dad", Troy says back angrily.

"You_ need_ to get a good education. I can't see what the sudden focus on this job is all about. And what are you doing with your money anyway? You still bum gas money off me every week."

"You know, I've had enough of this conversation. I'm going to summer school; I'm keeping my job. Just live with it, okay?", Troy says as he stomps from the room.

Sharpay is feeling extremely awkward. She is standing in the kitchen, next to the door she has just entered. She's about to turn around and walk right back out when Troy comes storming into the room, followed hotly by his father.

"Sharpay...I didn't know you had come in", Troy says, uncomfortably.

"I...I just got here", Sharpay whispers.

Coach Bolton walks in and upon seeing Sharpay, turns to her and says, roughly, "This is a family matter, Sharpay. If you'll excuse us..."

"Jack, there's no reason to snap at the girl. This isn't her fault", Lisa says calmly. She has just followed the rest of her family into the kitchen.

"_Not her fault?!_ She's precisely who's fault this is. If it wasn't for _her_, our son wouldn't have lost focus and flunked two classes! If it wasn't for _her_, our son wouldn't have blown his permanent record by being suspended for three days! If it wasn't for _her_, he wouldn't have just ruined his future by her having gotten herself knocked up!", Jacks shouts, and with each _"her"_, points an accusing finger straight at Sharpay.

Sharpay's face is bright-red with embarrassment and her eyes are opened wide as she stares up at Coach Bolton. She is physically trying to shrink herself into the cabinets behind her.

"Jack! I can't believe you said that", Lisa exclaims. She is mortified for Sharpay who looks like she's on the verge of bolting from the room.

"Well, it's about time somebody said it. We've been tiptoeing around this all week. She's pregnant, Lisa, and I seriously doubt it was an immaculate conception. Hell, for all we know, it's not even Troy's baby!", he blurts out.

The room is suddenly overcome with dead silence. Three of the four people in the room are barely breathing and the fourth, Coach Bolton, is breathing so heavily, he looks like he just finished losing a game of one-on-one with Troy.

"I...I...I'm sorry", Sharpay rasps out as she pushes away from the counter and flies from the room in the direction of the bathroom. She hasn't had morning sickness in over a month, but this looks like the day to revive some old evils. She doesn't even realize she left the door open until her feels someone crouched beside her as she heaves into the toilet. Loving hands pull back her hair and then she feels a hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles around on it.

"It's okay; I'm here", Troy says, gently, into her ear.

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Jack, meanwhile, storms out the kitchen door when Sharpay flees from the room. Lisa is following quickly behind him.

"Jack Bolton, don't you dare try to run away from this. You can't say the kind of things you just said and then just run away from it. I was shocked when Troy ran away from Sharpay when he saw her in Colorado, but now I see it's 'like father/like son'."

Jack stops and hangs his head, ashamed at his behavior. He slowly turns around to face his wife.

"I'm sorry, Lis'. It's just that since he first picked up a basketball when he was two years old, he's known what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and now everything is falling apart. What's going to happen to his life? Troy's too young for this kind of responsibility, Lis'", Jack laments as a sits down on the concrete step in the garage that leads up into the house.

"I don't know, hon, but he needs us right now more than he's needed us since he came out of diapers. And he's not alone. Sharpay needs our support too. Jack, how dare you try to put all the blame on that poor girl? Have you talked to her? It's not like she's some sort of succubus, for crying out loud. And speaking of talking, we're both going to go back in that house and sit down and calmly," at Jack's bristling over the word, _calmly_, she repeats it with emphasis, "yes, ..., _calmly_, discuss this situation AS ... A ... FAMILY. Because like it or not, Jack Bolton, that girl is carrying our first grandchild and I'm not going to let your pigheadedness force her and that baby out of our lives. You got it?", Lisa adds forcefully.

"Yeah, I got it and I'll try", Jack agrees reluctantly.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Sharpay finishes emptying the contents of her stomach and she automatically reaches up and flushes the toilet. Troy helps her rise and they walk over to the sink. She splashes some cool water on the face and rinses out her mouth. When she looks up, Troy already has her toothbrush ready and is holding it out for her.

"Thanks", Sharpay mumbles as she accepts the toothbrush.

Troy stands quietly to the side as he waits for her to finish. After she dries her mouth, he turns her around to face him and says, "I'm sorry about what my dad said. Sometimes he can be a real jerk."

"_I'm_ sorry _I've_ messed up _your_ life", Sharpay replies, somewhat bitterly.

"Hey, I never said that and I never thought it either. We're in this together, okay? I love you, Sharpay. Please, believe me", Troy says lovingly.

Before she can reply, there is a light knock on the bathroom door. "Troy, Sharpay? Are you in there? It's me, Mom. We'd like for you two to come back to the living room now, please."

Troy opens the door and says to his mom, "I don't want to talk to Dad right now, okay?"

"I understand completely, but this is something we need to talk about as a family, if not it's just going to fester and rot and destroy us."

"Well, if it's a family discussion, I guess I'm not invited", Sharpay says emotionally.

Lisa looks over at Sharpay for the first time and notices how pale and tired she looks. She asks with concern, "Sharpay, dear, are you alright? You don't look well."

"She just threw up, Mom. Why don't you go tell Dad? He'll be so proud", Troy says with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Looking towards Troy, Lisa says, "Troy, please", then to Sharpay, "You're wrong, Sharpay. You are very much a member of this family and you have every right to be a part of any discussion. Now please let's try to talk about this in a civilized manner. Come with me back to the living room. I promise you things will be better this time."

They reluctantly agree and Troy and Sharpay follow Lisa back down the hall and into the living room. Jack is already sitting in the recliner and is looking nervous and tense. Troy and Sharpay sit quietly down on the small, plaid love seat.

"Okay, here's some ground rules. We're going to talk like a civilized family, so no yelling. We're going to let everyone have a chance to express their own views. And we're not stopping until this matter is resolved", Lisa states, instantly becoming the mediator for the family meeting, "Is that clear to everyone?"

Mumbled yeses echo through the room.

"Good. Now, Jack, we'll start with you...", at his silence, she continues, "Now, please."

"Okay look, I overreacted, okay? I'm sorry", Jack says reluctantly.

"Jack, you sound like I'm your mother and I just forced you to apologize for hitting your little sister", Lisa says in an annoyed voice.

"This is hard for me", he admits. He takes a deep breath and continues, "Sharpay, I am truly sorry for what I said before. I didn't mean it. I can't fairly lay all the blame for this on you. It's just...Troy has such big plans for his life...he has an excellent shot at getting a basketball scholarship to a PAC-10 college. How's he going to handle all that with a family to support?"

"Dad, I'm not the first guy to go to college with a family", Troy contributes.

And excuse me, but Troy's not the only one who has plans...or had them, anyway. Most of my plans are over now. They'll never happen. As it stands, I'll be lucky if I manage to graduate from high school. I honestly have no idea how I'll make it through college with a baby, on my own", Sharpay explains and then takes a calming breath.

"You're not by yourself, Sharpay. You know that", Troy says understandingly as he takes her left hand in his.

"He's right, Sharpay. We're all going to help you. Right, Jack?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course", Jack says with less enthusiasm than Lisa wants to hear.

"And, by the way, as long as we're clearing the air, this_ is_ my baby, Dad. There's no question about it", Troy states fiercely.

"Sorry about that, Troy, but well...God, this is awkward,... but I'm at the high school more than the students are and well, I hear things, okay? Things about girls who _do _and girls who _don't,_ if you understand my meaning", Jack continues, oblivious to the daggers Lisa is shooting at him with her eyes.

Sharpay's eyes widen in shock at the Coach's words.

"Oh heck, Dad. I can't believe you just said that. I've heard the rumors too. And they're wrong, okay? Just trust me on this, Dad."

"Sure son, it's just, you know...the stories I hear are pretty convincing."

"You really want to hear this? Well, here goes... She was my first, okay?", Troy says angrily and then his voice softens and he directs the next statement to Sharpay, "And I hope she'll be my only... Anyway, I was her first, too. She was a _virgin_, Dad. I know I was there, I hurt her that first time, okay? I _know_ she was a virgin. She must have conceived that night because that's the only time we were together."

Sharpay has started to visibly tremble now and Troys hugs her closer to him.

"Sorry, son", Jack says solemnly.

"Don't apologize to me", Troy growls at this father.

"I'm sorry, Sharpay", Jack says sincerely.

Sharpay just nods weakly.

"But Troy and Sharpay...at the risk of causing even more strife. Well...you're both smart kids...um..young adults", Lisa corrects herself, "and I just have to ask. Why didn't you use protection?"

Troy and Sharpay just stare at each other blankly. They've never discussed the true reason behind their night together with anyone who wasn't involved.

"We, um, well, we weren't in complete control of what happened that night, Mom", Troy starts, nervously.

"Yeah, that's also how we ended up with the tattoos", Sharpay adds.

"Tattoos? What tattoos?", Jack asks cautiously.

"Oh boy", Lisa sighs. _How had he managed to not notice it in all these months?_

"Weeell Jack, on the night of the after-party back in February when this all started, Troy and Sharpay had each others names tattooed on themselves", Lisa explains slowly and then waits for the bomb to explode.

"Oh, is that all?", Jack says casually.

"_Is that all?_", Troy echoes, disbelievingly at the father, "You mean, you're not angry about it?"

"Well, what do they look like?", Jack asks with sincere curiosity.

Troy slowly raises the right sleeve of his t-shirt and shows Jack the tattoo of wings with Sharpay's name written in script across them. Sharpay simply turns around to show him her shoulder. Then, she sits back down quickly.

Jack looks at the angel and at Sharpay's rose with disinterest.

"Well, they're not too showy, although I thinks the wings are a little foo-foo."

"So, you're not angry about the tattoos?", Lisa asks cautiously.

"Well, if that was all that was going on, then I'd probably be angry, but if I put it into prospective, then it's not so bad, right?"

Everyone lets out of sigh of relief until Jack asks the next question, "But what does getting tattoos have to do with having unprotected sex?"

Troy rubs his hand tiredly over his face and looks upward towards the ceiling as if seeking inspiration from above. Sharpay takes the opposite tactic and stares sightlessly into her own tightly clashed hands.

"Well?", Lisa prompts.

"We didn't know about it, okay? I mean they tasted like regular cookies", Troy tries to explain.

"That's right, Mrs. Bolton. They were snickerdoodles; really good snickerdoodles", Sharpay contributes rather weakly.

"And...", Jacks goad them to continue.

"They were laced with a ...um...drug."

"DRUG?!", Jack and Lisa exclaim together.

His parents sudden and loud reaction cause both Troy and Sharpay to flinch down into the sofa.

"Yes, ma'am,..., sir. It was supposed to be a joke. I was supposed to be the only one to eat them, but there was a mix up...", Sharpay tries to say calmly.

"And we both eat them.", Troy finishes the sentence.

"Who did this?", Jack demands.

Troy is prepared for this question and although Sharpay may hate him for what he's about to do, he says, "We don't know. We never found out. Chad's brother, the pharmacy major, analyzed it and determined that it made us act uninhibited and it may have been a mild aphrodisiac, but other than that it had no lasting or harmful effects." Troy is avoiding looking at Sharpay for her reaction. He's sure he'll hear about it later.

For Sharpay's part, she's just too stunned by the blatant lie that Troy just told to do anyway but sit numbly and listen.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. And you have no idea who did this because they should be held responsible", Lisa says.

"Yeah, they should", Sharpay says pointedly as she looks at Troy, "but Troy's right. We never found out who did it." Sharpay decides to follow Troy's lead, for now.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?", Jack says.

"Tell you that we got drunk on drugged cookies, went out, got tattoos and then ended up in a motel together somewhere?", Sharpay explains with sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah, you're right. We probably wouldn't have believed you."

"Then, why do you believe us now?", Troy asks.

"Because we don't see what your motivation would be for making up such a ridiculous story at this point in your little adventure", Lisa finishes. Jack nods in agreement.

"Well, I guess I'll go start working on dinner", Lisa announces as she rises from where she is sitting and heads towards the kitchen.

"Mom, wait!", Troy says as he stands and steps over Sharpay's legs to catch his mother. "I have something for you", he continues as he reaches into the front pocket of his jeans and pulls out a bundle of cash. "This is for Sharpay's clothes. I added up all the receipts and here's $533. I rounded up from $532.74. And thanks for getting her all that stuff. It was really nice of you, Mom."

Lisa is still standing in the middle of the room with a shocked expression on her face. She has made no move to accept the money.

"You don't have to do that, Troy; save your money."

"Yes, I do, Mom. I need to start paying our way."

Sharpay has never felt prouder of Troy than she does right now.

"Is this why that job of yours is so important, son?", Jack asks.

"Yeah, Dad, that's why."

"That's very mature of you, Troy. Take the money, Lisa. It's what the boy..., no, that's wrong. It's what the _man_ wants you to do."

Sharpay follow Troy back to his room and she shuts the door behind them. He flops down onto his full-sized bed and waits for the maelstrom to hit. He doesn't have to wait long.

"What was that all about? _We don't know. We never found out._", Sharpay demands as she angrily paces across the floor.

"He's my best friend, Shar", Troy admits weakly.

"So? Look what he did to our lives", she exclaims, indicating her noticeably pregnant stomach.

"Well, technically...I did _that_", Troy smirks.

"Oh, just shut up. You know what I mean. Don't you think he should be held responsible?"

"At this point, no, I don't. Chad feels really bad about this while thing and he's said he's sorry, so..."

"So, he just gets to ruin our lives and he gets off scot-free?"

Troy looks at her tenderly and says, "I don't feel ruined. I mean I know we didn't plan this whole baby thing and to be honest, I'm scared shitless, but I really do love you, Sharpay. And if it took a wacky, messed-up scheme from my weird best friend to get us together, then so be it."

Sharpay lets out a frustrated sigh. "You sure are hard to start a fight with, you know that."

"That's cause I'm so lovable", Troy says in a cocky manner and then pats the bed beside him, "Come on, lay down here with me and we'll plan our first date."

Sharpay can't help but smile, "Can I trust you?"

Troy replies cheekily, "What are you worried about? It's not like you could pregnant again."

Sharpay slowly walks up to the bed and settles down beside him. She cautiously lays her head down on his chest and he wraps his arm around her. Sharpay has to admit it feels very comforting to be here in his arms like this. They lie there quietly for several minutes just enjoying being together.

"This is nice", Troy murmurs as he inhales her scent. She smells wonderful and then he realizes that she's not wearing any perfume and it's not her hair products; it's just her natural scent. Wonderful. "Hey, so what do you want to do tomorrow night? The Omen just opened today, but we probably don't want to see that one --- for obvious reasons. There's The Break-Up...again, probably not a good choice..."

When he realizes she hasn't responded to anything he's said recently, Troy looks down and notices for the first time that she's fallen asleep. He looks down and notices how her slightly distended belly rises and falls with her breathing. Troy gently reaches down with his left hand and places it lovingly on over the spot on the stomach where their child lay within. _Their child_...he wasn't kidding when he told her he was scared shitless. He just hopes he doesn't let her down.

TBC

A little short, but it seems like a good place to stop. So what movie should they go see? Remember, it's 2006. Right now, it's between Hoot and Just My Luck (with Lindsay Lohan).

A/N 1: Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2006. Man, I really need to pick up the pace with the story. This thing is turning into a story version of 24.

A/N 2: Lots of angst in this chapter, but I felt they needed to clear the air about this stuff and now, hopefully, I won't have to go through anymore who-knows-what-and-explain-it-all-again scenes. Please don't hate Coach Bolton. I think his reaction would be a normal one.

PAC-10 conference college – It's short for Pacific 10 and it's ten large universities on the western side of the US including UCLA, USC, Arizona State and seven others that are all collectively part of the NCAA.


	25. Ch 24: First Date & Other Firsts

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 24: First Date & Other Firsts**

"That was a really great dinner, Troy. Thank you", Sharpay comments as they walk across the parking lot towards the Cottonwood Mall theaters. It's one of those huge sixteen screen theaters with stadium seating and a state-of-the-art sound system. It's a brisk early summer evening in Albuquerque, something for which the high desert is famous; Sharpay shivers as a cool breeze hits her and Troy wraps his arm protectively around her shoulders in order to share his warmth.

"Yeah, the food was pretty good, but it was the company that was exceptional", Troy tells her as he flashes her one of his earth-shattering smiles.

Sharpay is wearing metallic-gold capri leggings, and an bright red, a-line halter top with an empire waist that blouses over her tummy. The straps tie behind her neck and the plunging neckline takes full advantage of her increased bust size. Who says you can't be pregnant and sexy? She completes the outfit with casual black flip-flops. Mrs. Bolton spent forty-five minutes straightening and styling Sharpay's hair since it is nearly impossible for her to do it alone with the cast on her arm. Troy looks equally stunning in a simple pair of khaki shorts, a black t-shirt and brown leather sandals.

Normally on a Wednesday night, there would be no wait, but because of the opening of _The Omen_ on the previous night, the place is much more crowded than usual. They walk up to the end of the line and prepare to snake their way through the queue area.

"So you're good with _Just My Luck_?", Troys asks.

"Sure, it sounds like fun --- much better than devil babies", Sharpay jokes in reference to the demonic plot of _The Omen_. "You know I haven't been to the movies since, like, January. I can't believe how much I missed this. But you know what the best part of going to the movie theater is, right?", she asks excitedly, "It's movie theater popcorn swimming in movie theater butter-like substance! All that salted, buttery goodness! Mmmm! I used to have to run ten miles to work off a tub of that stuff, but it was worth it." She lets out a contented sigh at the memory.

"So now...let me take a wild guess here...you want buttered popcorn tonight, right?"

"You must be psychic. But with bottled water to drink, please. No soda, it's not good for", and her voice drops to a whisper, "_you know who_."

"And sopping buttered popcorn is."

"Oh yes, definitely.", Sharpay says with a mischievous smile.

They walk inside the building and proceed to the snack counter after they buy their tickets at the outside kiosk. Troy orders a large tub of buttered popcorn, a bottled water and a Coke for himself. They find two fantastic seats in the back of the nearly deserted theater. Everyone must be watching _The Omen_. The lights drop down and Troy reaches over and entwines Sharpay's fingers in his. Sharpay's right arm is on the bottom and Troy is resting his left arm on Sharpay's cast. They position the popcorn tub between them just as the movie starts. After about an hour into the film, the popcorn is gone and Sharpay starts to look around for a napkin to wipe the butter off her fingers.

"Where's a napkin?", she whispers over to Troy.

"What?", he questions back.

"A napkin. I need a napkin to wipe off my fingers. They're covered in butter."

"Oh, I forgot them."

"Well, what do I do about my greasy fingers?"

Grinning wickedly, even though no one can see him in the darkened theater, Troy reaches over and grabs Sharpay's left hand.

"Hey, what are you...", the question dies on her lips when he takes her index finger into his mouth and starts to slowly suck and lick the butter off --- very,...very slowly. Sharpay's eyes are glued on Troy's lips as he works her finger in and out of his warm, wet mouth. He releases that finger with a pop and without hesitating, moves on to the next one. By the time he finishes his delicious task and all of her fingers have been licked clean, they are both breathing heavily and even in the dim light, Troy can see Sharpay's eyes are clouded over with lust.

Her mouth is open slightly and she suddenly realizes how dry her throat is. She swallows slowly, then nervously runs her tongue over her lips and moves closer to Troy. He meets her half way. Their lips are mere centimeters apart and their eyes are locked together in anticipation.

"Hey, guys! See Taylor, I _told_ you it was them!", Chad says in a very loud whisper as he slides into the seat next to Troy. Taylor is being pulled along behind him and sits down on the other side of Chad.

Chad's voice hits Troy and Sharpay like a bucket of ice cold water and they immediately break apart. Troy turns slowly in his seat to face Chad with a scowl on his face.

"Hi...Chad", Troy says icily.

"Hey man, how you been?", Chad asks oblivious to the awkward situation in which he finds himself.

"Chad, maybe they want to be alone", suggests Taylor when she sees the look on Troy's face. She can't see Sharpay clearly. She's sunken herself back into her seat and has her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

"No way, Taylor. I mean, come on, she's living at their house. He sees her all the time. You don't see me hanging out with Ryan any more than I have to."

Taylor just rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's ignorance.

"Sssshh!", comes several voices from the surrounding patrons who are still trying to watch the movie.

"Hey, I have an idea. We're not really watching this movie. I don't even like Lindsay Lohan; I really wanted to see _The Omen_, but it was sold out, so let's get out of here. Go someplace fun. Watdaya think?", Chad suggests enthusiastically.

Sharpay just sighs and says in an irritated voice, "Fine...whatever. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll meet you...all of you, outside." With that, she stands and exits to her left and away from the group.

"Hey, wait up. I'll go with you", Taylor says as she tries to catch up with Sharpay.

Sharpay has already entered one of the stalls when Taylor reaches the restroom. Seeing her feet from under the door, Taylor chooses the stall next to her.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Chad. Sometimes, well, most of the time, he's just clueless, you know?", Taylor says to the wall partition. "Sharpay? You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here", she replies flatly.

Taylor hears her leave and quickly hurries to catch up with her again.

Sharpay is standing at the sink washing her hands when Taylor finds her.

"Hi, again", Taylor tries again to engage her in conversation.

"Hi", Sharpay says and then turning to face Taylor, continues, "I'm sorry I overreacted. You just came in at an awkward moment, okay?"

Taylor is about to apologize again when she gets her first clear view of Sharpay. "Oh, my."

"Oh hell, just go ahead and say it, okay? I'm pregnant. I know I'm pregnant; I know I look pregnant, so just deal, okay?", Sharpay says angrily.

"What? No, I wasn't talking about that", Taylor is speaking very fast as she tries to deny to truth. "Well...maybe I was. It's just such a surprise seeing you like this and all. I haven't actually seen you in almost three months and well, you look really different. I'm sorry; God, this is so embarrassing." Taylor can feel the blush rise in her cheeks and burn its way up to her ears.

"It's okay; it's something I'm going to have to get used to", Sharpay says as she lovingly rubs her belly, "it's not like it's going to go away, you know?"

"I think you're very brave to do this. I mean...some girls would just get an abortion and move on with their lives."

"I could never do that", Sharpay says in a low, serious voice. "It's kind of funny, though...you admiring me...I thought you all hated me."

"No, I never hated you. I mean I think I can understand how you felt about the whole Twinkle Town thing. I'd probably do the same thing if you tried to take Gabriella's spot on the decathlon team."

"Ha ha; can you imagine me, a nerd on the brainiac team? Very funny."

"Hey, how about we talk the guys into taking us to Cinnabon's in the mall?", Taylor suggests with a smile.

"That sounds fantastic."

The girls leave together. Seconds later, a stall door opens slowly and a dark haired teenager walks out.

"Did you hear that? You were right. I can't believe it. I thought you made up all those rumors about Sharpay Evans, but she's pregnant", whispers the darker haired girl towards a still closed stall door.

A second door opens and out walks Melissa Fills, East High School's newest Varsity Cheerleading Captain. "I _knew_ there was something going on when I saw her at the mall with her _mom_. I'm not as stupid as people think, you know. I read the society page; I know what Judith Evans looks like and that wasn't her. But now the question is, who's _Daddy_? I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I can't wait for school to start; this is going to be the best year ever."

"Yeah, but first you have to pass summer school or you're going to be left back and dropped from the team", the other girl says knowingly.

"Heather!", Melissa says lividly, "we said we're not going to talk about that, okay? Summer school doesn't start until next week, so lay off!"

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The guys are waiting for Sharpay and Taylor in the lobby of the ceniplex.

"Okay guys, here's the plan", Taylor starts, confidently, "you two are taking us to Cinnabon's in the mall, got it?"

"Um, sure", Chad says, "I'm okay with that. I juuust luv their Chillattas. Let's go."

Troy reaches for Sharpay's hand and starts to walk towards the mall exit of the theater that will take them directly into the mall.

"Wait a minute", Sharpay announces as she stops short. "Aren't you going to say anything?", she asks Chad.

"'Bout what?", Chad asks innocently.

"About this, you idiot", Sharpay says as she pulls her hand away from Troy and places both hands on her abdomen like she's holding a basketball. "Aren't you going to make some snide remark about how I look?"

"Nope, wasn't planning on it. Why? Would you like me to?"

"But this is your grand opportunity, Chad. It may never happen again", she says as she tries to incite him.

"Doesn't matter. Troy's my best friend and since you're my best friend's girl that sort of makes you my...best friend-in-law or something like that...It made more sense when I was thinking about it earlier", Chad explains with a vague look on his face.

"Oh", is the only response Sharpay can think to say. She reaches over and takes Troy's hand again and they continue on their way to Cinnabon's. Then, almost as an afterthought, she says to Chad, "Thanks for not making a big deal out of this and I'm sorry I did."

"No prob."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Almost two hours later, Troy pulls to a stop on the street in front of his house. Sharpay looks over at him in confusion.

"Why did you stop here? I thought you always parked in the driveway."

"Just wait, you'll see", Troy replies mysteriously, "Oh, and don't move."

Troy hops out of his Toyota and runs around and opens Sharpay's door for her.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. Remember I'm wooing you and I want to do it right, so I'm walking you to your front door after our first date."

Sharpay tries to stifle her giggles when she sees how serious Troy looks. He holds out his hand for her and helps her out of the car, then shuts the door behind her. They walk hand-in-hand up the walkway to the Bolton's front door. When they reach the porch, Troy turns to Sharpay.

"I had a really nice time. I hope we can do it again, sometime."

"Oh yes, I definitely enjoyed it, especially the popcorn", she says as her voice becomes husky.

Troy clears his throat, nervously, "You're not making this formal courting thing easy, you know."

"Oh, and who says it's supposed to be easy, Bolton."

"Now, I think I'm supposed to try and kiss you on the lips, but you only let me have a peck on the cheek and then..."

Before Troy realizes what's happening, Sharpay grabs him behind the neck and pulls him toward her and attacks him with a passionate kiss where she tries to rid herself of all the frustration she's been feeling since she saw him again Saturday night. Troy returns the kiss with equal fervor and starts to push her backwards in his enthusiasm. Before either of them realize it, her back hits the front door. The kiss continues, seemingly breaking all the rules of biology that insists people actually need oxygen to exist. Neither of them notice that Sharpay's back is accidentally and repeatedly hitting the doorbell.

Without warning, the front door is jerked open and an angry Jack Bolton starts yelling about how the doorbell must be stuck. His expression of anger immediately changes to shock when he realizes that Sharpay is falling backwards into the house. Jack quickly catches her and is forced to go down with her as he cushions her fall.

Troy has excellent reaction time and lets go of Sharpay so he doesn't fall with her. Jack lets out a loud "Ufff" when he hits the floor.

"Sharpay! Are you okay?", comes identical calls of concern from the two Bolton men as Troy helps Sharpay up, off his dad.

"I'm fine...just embarrassed", Sharpay says as she and Troy turn around and help Coach Bolton off the floor.

"Sorry about that, but the door bell must have been stuck. It just kept going off", Jack mumbles as he stands up.

It is at this point that Troy and Sharpay take a good look at Jack. He is wearing a black silk robe which has come open in the fall and attempted rescue from falling. Under the robe, he's wearing a bright red...o_h my, is that a thong?_ Jack quickly cinches up the robe just as a voice comes floating down the hallway.

"Jaaack? Did you fix the bell? Hurry back and I won't make you wear that thing much longer", Lisa says with a decidedly husky lilt to her voice.

"Ummm, you're sure you're okay, Sharpay", Jack asks her quickly.

"Yes sir, I'm fine", Sharpay says to the floor. She's too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

"Okay, good. Well...I...um...need to...", he continues to stammer.

"Jaaackk?", Lisa calls again.

"Coming", he shouts back in her direction.

"That's what I'm hoping for."

Jack Bolton's face turns almost an identical shade of red as his thong as he beats a hasty retreat back down the hall.

"Let's ... um...", Troy says, indicating that they should go back out onto the porch.

"Good idea", Sharpay says as she sits down next to him on the top step. "Guess we got back too early, uh?"

"Oh, they're always like that", Troy comments casually, "You get used to it...sort of."

"It's a beautiful night", Sharpay sighs as she leans into Troy.

"Yeah, it is."

"How long do we need to stay out here?"

"Could be awhile. What do you want to do?", Troy asks her innocently.

"I'm sure we can think of something", Sharpay says as her left eyebrow lifts knowingly.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The rest of the week passes quickly and Troy's relationship with Sharpay is proceeding at a slow, but steady pace. Despite their heavy make-out session on the porch Wednesday night, they haven't stepped it up to the next level yet. That's the level that got them in this situation in the first place. Troy's only slightly frustrated by it all. He's trying to understand her point of view; but after all, he is a normal teenage guy with normal teenage hormones.

Troy's eyes pop open suddenly as his alarm clock blares out some obnoxious music to wake him. It's Monday morning and he's never liked Monday morning and today is the first day of summer school, so that makes it even more unpleasant. "Ug", he moans as he reaches over to turn off the noise. _And just when it got to the good part_, he thinks to himself. His dreams always get interrupted at the worst moment possible. Remembering what was happening between him and Sharpay in that dream, Troy lifts up the sheets and feels down... _Good, no embarrassing nocturnal messes to try and clean up without Mom finding out._

He stumbles out of bed and across the hall to the bathroom...which is locked. "Ug", he moans again. Within seconds though, Sharpay opens the door and looks up at Troy in surprise.

"What are you doing up so early?", she asks.

"I have summer school, remember?", he grumbles, "Question is, why are _you_ up?"

She pats her tummy as she says, "Bladder...baby...'nough said."

"Oh, are you going back to bed?"

"No, I might as well stay up now that you're up. I'll eat breakfast with you; you know how I enjoy watching you drink coffee", she says with a sigh. Sharpay never realized how much she loved coffee until she wasn't allowed to have any. Oh, she could drink decaf, of course, but what's the point of that. So now she just has to be satisfied with drinking that wonderful dark liquid, _vicariously._

Troy enters the kitchen fifteen minutes later to find Sharpay sitting at the table eating pineapple chunks.

"What's with all the pineapple lately? Is it those cravings people talk about so much?", Troy asks as he sits down with his cup of coffee.

"No, I read that it's supposed to help with the heartburn, but it's not working", Sharpay says in disgust as she reaches over to grab Troy's coffee cup. This is their normal routine, so he just sits back and waits as she lovingly cradles the cup in her hands and brings it up to her nose to inhale that wonderful aroma. When she finishes, Sharpay puts the cup down and pushes it back towards Troy.

"Hmmm, that's better. Coffee helps everything", Sharpay murmurs as she smiles.

"You are so weird sometimes", Troy jokes.

"Hey, shut up! I'm allowed to be as weird as I want."

"Did you read that somewhere, too?", he quips back.

"Nope, your mom told me so."

"Well, she is the queen."

"Absolutely. So you're in school 'til noon, right?", Troy nods dejectedly and she continues, "What are you doing after that?"

"I come home for lunch and _homework_", he grumbles out the word, homework, "Then, I have to be at work at three o'clock. I don't get off 'til eleven. I'm sorry. I was hoping we'd have more time together."

"It's okay. Maybe I'll help you with your homework, yeah?"

"Very funny. Hey, I'd better get going; I don't want to be late my first day."

"Hey, wait", Sharpay says as she stands up and come around the table to where Troy is standing. "Well, it's kind of like you're going off to work and I'm the stay-at-home mom, so I thought a goodbye kiss might be appropriate." As she finishes, she stands up on her tip toes and gives him a tender kiss on the lips.

"Wow, maybe summer school won't be so bad after all."

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Troy has to drive across town to West High School for summer school because that's the only school offering both of the classes he needs. Algebra II is from eight o'clock to nine forty-five and English Literature is from ten o'clock to twelve noon. He arrives to the math class fifteen minutes early. Just early enough to get the seat he prefers --- one, way in the back of the room --- nice and anonymous. After he gets settled into his seat, Troy takes a look around the room at a few of the early arrivals --- trying to find someone he knows. _Oh, shit!_, he thinks as he finally sees someone he recognizes. He quickly opens the math book and tries to hide behind it, but it's too late.

"Troy!", comes an excited, shrill voice, "I can't believe you're in this class, too!"

Troy reluctantly looks above the book and tries not to cringe when he speaks. "Oh hi, Melissa", he says in a monotone voice. A voice that anyone would immediately interpret as "I don't really want to talk to you and please leave me alone." She doesn't get it.

Melissa Fills sits down in the seat in front of Troy and turns around to talk to him. "This is so exciting! I mean I was really dreading summer school; but with you here, it'll be sweet!"

"Uh huh", Troy nods vaguely as he desperately looks around the class for anything or anyone that could save him from the onslaught of the peppy, overly happy, cheerleader.

When Troy was in ninth grade, he actually had a short-lived crush on Melissa Fills. There is no doubt that she is cute in a ditsy, fake blond sort of way. When he finally worked up his nerve to ask her to a school dance, she turned him down. However, she didn't just _turn him down_, she made it clear that he was just a no-named freshman and she had her sights set higher. Troy's feelings were hurt, but it taught him a valuable lesson about being attracted to someone only because of their looks. Melissa didn't talk to him again until last year when the basketball team started winning games and it became clear that they had a shot at the playoffs. Suddenly, he couldn't seem to get rid of her and since she was a cheerleader, he saw a lot of her. Melissa started sitting next to him on the bus for the away games; sitting next to him at lunch; sitting next to him in chemistry lab. Everywhere he went, she was there. And now she's here. "Ug."

Luckily, just as she's about to open her mouth again, the teacher comes in and class starts.

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After lunch with Sharpay, Troy opens up his Algebra book to start his homework.

"I just don't get this, Sharpay", Troy laments, "I mean my parents think I was distracted by everything that was going on..."

"You mean me", Sharpay interrupts as she sits down next to him at the kitchen table. They've just finished eating lunch and Sharpay is thrilled to have some company during the day.

"Well yeah, I guess so", he acknowledges, sheepishly, "but they're wrong. I don't think I would have passed anyway. I just don't _get_ this stuff."

"Well, let's take a look at it. You know, when I was in Colorado, I actually enjoyed math. And that has never happened before, trust me", she says with a smile. "I really felt like something clicked --- like I have a knack for it or something."

"Sure, it can't hurt, right?", Troy says as they start to pour over the problems.

An hour and a half later, Troy lets out a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that's amazing. You make it seem so easy and you explain it a lot better than my teacher."

"Well, that's because I like it. Don't tell anyone this", Sharpay says as she lowers her voice into a conspiratorial whisper, "I just love factoring polynomials."

"Your secret's safe with me. Hey, I've got to get going or I'll be late", Troy says as he rises and starts to put his books away. "You know if you're bored, maybe you could tutor math. I mean, you're really good at this."

"Me? Teach math to someone else? I don't think so."

"Why not? You've helped me already and I bet you could pick up some extra money that way, too."

"Well, I'll think about it, but I don't even know where I could find anyone who needs help."

"Let's see if Mom or Dad know anyone. I'll see you later, okay?", Troy says as he gives her a sweet peck on the lips.

"Bye."

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They continue the informal tutoring sessions at lunch and Troy is able to keep up with his English Literature work during his lunch break at work. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton have started putting feelers out to find students who need help in mathematics, but they haven't heard anything yet.

It's Thursday and Troy and Sharpay are sitting in the obstetrician's office waiting to be called back for her monthly appointment. It's the first doctor's visit she's had since coming back to Albuquerque. She notices that he appears a little nervous and so she tries to lighten the mood.

"Don't worry, Troy. I'm the one with the appointment, not you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I was being so obvious. It's just...I feel really out-of-place in here."

The waiting room is full of expectant mothers and younger children and in some cases, newborns.

"To tell the truth, I feel kind of out-of-place here, too. We'll just be out-of-place together", she reassures him as she takes his hand.

"Sharpay Evans", comes the nurse's announcement.

"That's us."

After taking the standard vital signs: weight and blood pressure, the technician takes them back to the examining room. The doctor comes in minutes later. She is a thin, petite woman in her mid-forties. Dr. Baker introduces herself to Troy and Sharpay and makes a comment that turns Troy's stomach. "Yes, I'm very popular here for deliveries, more so than my male counterparts." At Troy and Sharpay's confusion, she explains, "See I have extremely small hands. Trust me, you'll appreciate it later." Troy pales at that explanation.

She starts out the examine by measuring Sharpay's stomach with a measuring tape as if she's fitting her for new clothes. She explains to Troy that the measurement from Sharpay's pubic bone to the top of the uterus should be approximately equal to the number of weeks pregnant she is. She measures twenty centimeters which is right on track.

"Now, let's hear this little one's heartbeat, shall we?", Dr. Baker comments as she pulls out a strange wand which is attached via a cord to a speaker. She rubs it along Sharpay's stomach and stops with a smile.

"Here we are. Take a listen", she says as she turns up the volume on the speaker.

Sharpay's face lights up as she recognizes the swish-swish sound that she heard at her last check-up. Troy has a puzzled look on his face. It just sounds like ocean waves to him. Then, he realizes there's a pattern to the rolling wave sounds. His mouth opens unconsciously and he gets the same awed expression on his face as Sharpay.

"155 beats per minute which is also right on track", the doctor says as she starts to put her equipment away, "Now Sharpay, you have your ultrasound set up for one hour from now which should give you time enough to drink the required amount of water. I know it's uncomfortable, but please try to refrain from urinating. The baby will be much easier to see if your bladder is full."

"I'll try."

"Good, just report to the ultrasound department in one hour then. I'll see the ultrasound tomorrow, but I'll only contact you if there are concerns; otherwise, I'll see you next month for your twenty-four week appointment."

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Over an hour and a half later, a very uncomfortable looking Sharpay is lying back in an reclined, padded chair waiting for the ultrasound technician.

"Stop that!", Sharpay chastises Troy as he is seemingly fiddling with every possible instrument and dial in the room. "Stop touching things!"

"I'm just bored", whines Troy.

They've been waiting in this room for over thirty minutes.

"Well, how do you think I feel? I was about to bust when we got here forty-five minutes ago."

"Sorry", he says sheepishly as he gives her a sad puppy face.

Suddenly, the technician enters the room. She's a kind looking older Hispanic woman wearing a white lab coat.

"Before we get started, I need to ask you an important question. At twenty weeks gestation, it is entirely possible that we'll be able to see the sex of the baby. So, do you want to know?"

"No!", Sharpay says.

"Yes!", Troy says at the same time.

They turn and look at each other in surprise. They never thought to discuss this before.

"I want to be surprised", explains Sharpay.

"I want to know", says Troy, "I've have enough surprises lately."

"I _really_ want to wait", Sharpay counters.

"Well", starts the technician, "when I identify the pertinent parts, you", indicating Sharpay, "may choose to not look, and we won't say anything aloud. Would that be acceptable?"

Sharpay looks at Troy. "You promise not to tell me, right?"

"Cross my heart..."

"Okay, I'll do that."

And they get started. Sharpay raises her blouse and slightly lowers her pants down at the technician's instruction. She squirts some clear gel out of a plastic bottle directly onto Sharpay's stomach and rubs it around.

"Ohh!", Sharpay yelps.

"Sorry 'bout that. I should have warned you. That probably feels a little cold."

"Ya think", grumbles Sharpay.

"We're supposed to have a heater for the gel, but it's broken. Anyway, let's see what's going on?"

Five minutes later, Sharpay's in tears and Troy's a little choked up as they observe their baby on the monitor. It's a hazing gray figure on the screen, but it's undoubtedly a baby.

"Ah, look at that", the technician comments, "That baby's sucking it's thumb."

They both lean in to search for the elusive thumb sucking. After a few seconds of trying to orient themselves, they see it. The baby is definitely sucking its thumb. Troy reaches up and wipes away a tear from his face. The technician spends the next few minutes taking measurements and printing pictures for them to take home.

"Okay now, Mom needs to look away because we're going to start searching for those naughty bits, right?"

Sharpay turns her head and closes her eyes, just to be safe. The technician continues to push and prod the wand across her abdomen; a little too firmly for Sharpay's taste. After several minutes of silence, the woman finally says, "There you go. This little one was being a bit shy."

"But I don't see...", Sharpay hears Troy say and then he takes a deep inhale of breath, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Depends...What do you think it is?", asks the technician cryptically. "Here, is this it?", she says as Sharpay hears scribbling that she assumes is the technician writing on paper. Then, rustling as she gives the paper to Troy.

"Yeah", Troy says in awe, "Wow, that's amazing."

"It sure is. I've been working here for fifteen years and it all still amazes me everyday."

"Hello!", announces an irritated Sharpay, "Are you finished yet? Uncomfortable pregnant woman here; who really, really needs to go potty."

"Oh, sorry dear. Yes, we're through. You can look now and I'll just clean up this mess", the older woman says as she uses tissues to wipe off Sharpay's belly. "The restroom is the first door on the right. I'll just give Dad, here, the photos."

Sharpay bolts out of the room.

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Jack is helping Lisa prepare dinner when they both stop and look towards the kitchen door. They have similar looks of confusion on their faces as they turn toward the sound of Sharpay ranting at Troy in an extremely angry voice.

"I can't believe you! You promised! You promised you wouldn't tell me", Sharpay yells at Troy as they both enter the house.

"What did I say?", Troy asks innocently.

"_What did I say?_", Sharpay repeats sarcastically, "Don't you play all innocent with me Troy Bolton; you know exactly what you said."

"Um, kids?", Lisa interrupts, "What's going on? Did the appointment not go well?"

"There's nothing wrong with the baby, is there?", Jacks asks with sincerity.

"What? Oh no, everything's fine. Sharpay's just overreacting", explains Troy.

"Overreacting?! You broke your promise, not one hour after you made it, you jerk!"

"Would someone please explain what's going on?", Lisa asks.

"Sure, Mom. Well, you know she had her ultrasound today and I wanted to know the sex of the baby."

"And I didn't", Sharpay puts in.

"So the technician only showed me."

"And he _promised_ not to tell me", Sharpay is getting so frustrated with this conversation that she's starting to choke up a bit.

"And I didn't", insists Troy.

"Yes, you did, you jerk!"

"What happened?", Jack asks blandly.

"Okay, we're coming back from the hospital and I'm looking at the pictures and we're listening to the radio and on comes the song My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne."

"Oh yeah, I like her songs; she's sweet", comments Jack.

The other three people in the room turn to look at Jack Bolton, incredulously.

"What? I work at a high school, you know? I have to keep up", Jack says in his defense.

"Anyway...", Lisa says exasperatedly, "please continue...you were listening to April La...something."

"_Avril Lavigne_", the other three say simultaneously.

"Right, well that's about all, Mom. We were just listening to the song. Then, she just starts yelling at me for no reason. That's it", Troy finishes.

"No, that's not it. Tell them what you said!", Sharpay insists.

"I don't know what I said! I don't understand what I did wrong!", Troy yells back at her.

"You said, and I quote, '_Avril,... you know I never thought about it before, but that's a nice name'_", Sharpay says, doing to fairly decent imitation of Troy.

"So?...", Troy starts and then he realizes exactly what he said and why, "Oooooh, oh no, Sharpay, I'm sooooo sorry. I really did not realize what I was saying. It was subconscious; I swear. You've got to believe me. I guess I was just thinking about her and wasn't paying..."

"Aaaaah, you did it again! You said _her_!", Sharpay screams as she starts to walk away. "And just to set the record straight, I AM NOT NAMING MY DAUGHTER, _AVRIL_!!!" With that, she stomps out of the room and seconds later they hear her door slam.

There's an awkward silence in the room.

Lisa breaks it by saying with a big grin on her face, "So we're having a granddaughter, I take it."

"Uggg", Troy mutters as he starts to follow Sharpay.

Jack grabs his arm and stops him.

"Don't do it, son. Let her cool off, first. She's very emotional right now."

"Okay Dad, maybe you're right."

TBC

I sure hope everyone likes this chapter because I had a lot of fun writing it. So please review.

A/N 1: Start date: Wednesday, June 7, 2006. End date: Thursday, June 15, 2006. Woo hoo, I managed to advance it a whole week in one chapter. Go, me!

A/N 2: About Taylor blushing...yes, African Americans and other 'people of color' do blush. You just can't see it, but the person doing the blushing can feel it. Pretty insightful, uh?

A/N 3: Couldn't resist the not-so-subtle hints at the Bolton's very healthy physical relationship. And at least, somebody gets some in this frustrating chapter.


	26. Ch 25: New Job

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 25: New Job**

Troy is lying on his bed listening to his Boston CD, Third Stage, on his stereo. No one has heard from Sharpay since she slammed the door an hour later. He's trying to work on his homework, but is having trouble staying focused. Then, there comes a light tap on the door. Assuming it's his mom, Troy automatically reaches for the remote control to turn down the volume on the music and says, "Come in."

Sharpay pushes the door open slowly.

"Hi", she says in a small voice while standing timidly in the open doorway.

"Hi", Troy replies with a small amount of apprehension in his voice.

Troy closes his math book, sits up and moves to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Um, I've been thinking...a lot...and I realize, now, that you didn't tell me on purpose and I overreacted. I...I've been doing that a lot lately", she admits quietly as she fiddles with the hem on the bottom of her shirt.

"It's okay. I understand...or at least I'm trying to understand."

"Well good, because I don't understand it at all", Sharpay starts as she slowly enters the room.

Troy motions for her to join him on the bed. Long gone is the drama queen who strutted into high school like she owned it. This is the vulnerable, insecure Sharpay whose emotions are bouncing around inside her like one of Troy's basketballs. She slowly walks across the room and awkwardly perches on the bed next to Troy.

"What's wrong?", at her silence he adds, "You can talk to me, you know?"

"I'm so scared", Sharpay admits in a trembling voice. This is the first time she's admitted this to anyone other than Ryan. "I mean, we've totally screwed up our lives. What's going to happen to us? Is there even an us?"

She is starting to talk faster and is becoming more and more emotional, but Troy just sits quietly and lets her continue. He has a feeling that she really needs to vent all of these feelings. "I'm going have a baby, Troy. A baby! A brand new person who I'm responsible for. Some days I don't want to be responsible for myself." By now, tears are streaming down her cheeks and it's a little difficult for Troy to understand exactly what's she saying, but he gets the gist of it.

"Sssh. It's okay. I'm scared too, but we're in this together, okay? And yes, there is an us. At least, I...I want there to be an us", Troy reaches over to take her hand in hers.

"I don't understand what's happening to me. One minute I'm ecstatically happy and the next I'm in tears. I blew up at you for no reason. It was stupid of me and I'm sorry." She stands up and tries to move toward the door to leave, but Troy won't let go of her hand and pulls her back to him. Sharpay turns to him and melts into his embrace as he wraps his arms around her, offering what comfort he can.

"I love you, Shar", Troy says as he tucks her head under his chin. She holds onto him as if her life depends on it.

"I love you, too", it gets easier to say and more natural every time she says it.

Now that they're not talking, Troy realizes the music is still playing and he starts to gently sway back and forth in a soothing manner to the song that's just started. To anyone entering the room, they look like a couple just slow-dancing to the music. It's one of the only slow songs on this CD and it seems incredibly appropriate. Troy starts to sing along, quietly.

_Babe, tomorrow's so far away.  
There's somethin' I just have to say.  
I don't think I can hide what I'm feelin' inside  
Another day, knowin' I love you  
_

Sniffling a little, Sharpay comments, "That's a nice song."

"Yeah, it's one of the only slow songs I really like."

"What's it called?"

"Amanda...and the band is Boston."

"Amanda...that's a nice name."

"Yeah...it is."

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The next day, relations in the Bolton household are strained, to say the least. Jack and Lisa feel like their walking on eggshells. Therefore, it is a silent car ride to and from the orthopedist to have Sharpay's cast removed.

"I won't bite, you know", Sharpay finally says to break the silence.

"Are you sure, dear?", asks Lisa wryly.

Sharpay cracks a small smile. "Yes, I'm sure. Troy and I had a long talk yesterday and I apologized for overreacting."

Lisa lets out a breath. "Oh good, I see so much potential with the two of you and I'd hate to see a small argument escalate into something disastrous. It must feel good to have that thing off your arm", she says, trying to veer the conversation away from anything controversial.

"You wouldn't believe it! It feels so light; I'm in heaven", Sharpay explains. After almost three months and three different casts, Sharpay's arm is finally plaster-free. "Looks kind of funny, though", she comments as she places both her arms together to show how pale the right arm looks compared to the left.

"It won't take long for them to look the same again", Lisa assures her. "Did they set up appointments for your physical therapy?"

"Yes, I go three times a week starting next week and I have exercises to do at home."

"Well, Jack should be able to take you. His basketball camp ends today and he doesn't start enough one until after July fourth", Sharpay nods in understanding. "Hey, I may have a tutoring job for you, if you're interested, that is", Lisa says as they near the house.

"Really? That'd be great."

"Well, Sherry is a very nice woman; she's the director of my preschool and her daughter is in desperate need of help. I've never met the daughter, but if she's anything like her mother, then she's wonderful."

"Okay, what grade is she in?"

"She's in high school, a rising senior, I think, same as you and Troy. The class she needs the help in is Algebra II."

"Sweet, I think I'm really up to speed with that since I've been helping Troy. Ummm...just out of curiosity, how much does it pay?"

"I told her you wouldn't take anything less than $20 per hour."

"Wow, am I worth that much?"

"If you're as good as Troy says you are than that's a bargain. You can call her when we get home and set up a time to meet."

"Thanks, Mrs. Bolton. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me. Not everyone would be so nice", Sharpay says honestly.

"You're welcome, but you don't have to keep saying that. You're part of our family now, warts and all, and family helps family. So now that that's out of the way, how did the appointment go yesterday?", she ask, finally feeling comfortable enough to ask what she really wants to know.

"Great, everything's fine. Oooh! I have pictures to show you. With everything that happened yesterday, I completely forgot. I'll show them to you when we get home. You won't believe it; she was sucking her thumb. It was the most amazing thing", Sharpay says excitedly.

"I can't wait. We never saw that from Troy's ultrasounds, but he sure was a serious thumb sucker when he got out. He was nearly five before he got him to stop. Finally, Jack had to threaten to take away his basketball. That's what did the trick", Lisa smiles fondly at the memory.

"Wow, you know I remember him from Kindergarten; we were in the same class", she adds. "But I don't think I ever talked to him --- boy cooties, you know."

"Oh, yes. They still say that you know, even at the pre-school where I teach. Can't touch a boy, you might catch something."

"Don't I know it!", Sharpay laughs as pats her tummy.

"Ohh! Sorry, I didn't mean...", Lisa says embarrassedly.

"It's okay, Mrs. Bolton. I'm fine with it. I'm trying really hard to not be so sensitive about everything ---- like whether I'm having a girl or a boy..."

"About that, do you mind talking about it?", Lisa asks cautiously.

"No, I told you, Troy and I talked about everything last night."

Lisa sighs in relief. "Oh, good because I'm so excited about a little girl", Lisa gushes.

"Me, too. To tell the truth, I had a feeling it was a girl all along. But I'm not naming her Avril", Sharpay declares firmly and then her grim mask cracks into a smile.

"Have you considered April?", Mrs. Bolton asks with a wink.

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Monday evening, Sharpay finds herself standing nervously on the steps of a large two story stucco in a very nice section of the city. In fact, it's just a few blocks away from the large Evans estate. She spoke to 'please call me, Sherry' on the phone yesterday and arranged a time to meet with her daughter, Missy. The woman seemed very nice, albeit a little forgetful. Sharpay told the woman her name three times and she's still not sure she understood her. Sharpay is confident that she can do the job, but she's anxious, nevertheless. Trying to relax the firm grip that her left hand has on her backpack, she flexes out her right hand before reaching out to push the door bell button. Her first physical therapy session, earlier that day, has left her whole right arm sore. Her therapist is a real sadist.

"I don't care what you think about it, Melissa Ann Fields, you are getting a tutor and you're going to start studying or there's going to be no cheerleading, do you understand?"

Sherry Fields is staring down her daughter, Melissa, who is defiantly staring right back at her. The two Fields women are very similar physically. They are both only five feet, two inches tall and have the identical shade of blond hair (they both use the same hair stylist). Their identical bright blue eyes are currently locked together, waiting for who will blink first. The only real physical difference between them, aside from their age, is their weight. Mrs. Fields is a good fifty pounds heavier than her daughter and on her short frame that is a substantial amount. Melissa blinks first.

"But Mom, you can't stop me from cheering; it's what I live for and I'm the captain", Melissa whines as she stomps her foot for effect.

"It's not up to me, Missy; it's the school. If you fail this class, you'll be held back and you'll lose your position on the team. You knew this all along."

"Yeah, I know, but it's just not fair. Just because I'm not some freaky math nerd..."

"Well, even freaky math nerds have to study and you never do that."

"Alright", Melissa concedes, "who's this freaky math nerd who's going to work some miracle with me, anyway?"

"Well, you know I work with Lisa Bolton, Coach Bolton's wife...anyway, this girl is her son, Troy's, girlfriend. I spoke with her yesterday on the phone, but I forgot what she said her name was...something unusual, but I forget what."

"Gabriella Montez?", Melissa suggest as she smiles. Things are looking up. Gabriella Montez is a fourth degree wimp and she'll be a piece of cake to manipulate.

"That doesn't sound right and she didn't sound Hispanic to me."

"Mooom", Melissa says in an exasperated tone, "not everyone with a foreign name has an accent. Besides, I know for a fact that Gabriella Montez is Troy Bolton's girlfriend. They went to the prom together."

"Well, I still think it was a different name. But we'll find out soon enough; she should be here any minute now. And you will be considerate and attentive, understand?"

"Of course, Mom. I wouldn't think of doing anything else", Melissa replies in her most saccharined voice.

Their heads both turn towards the front of the house when they hear the door bell ring.

A short, obese woman opens the door with a warm smile on her face.

"Come right on in, my dear. I'm Sherry Fields, we spoke on the phone", the woman explains and she steps aside to let Sharpay enter.

"Hi, Mrs. Fields. I'm Sharpay."

"Sharpay!...that's it", at Sharpay's confusion, Sharpay explains, "I couldn't remember your name earlier. My memory--- they say it's the first thing to go. And please, call me, Sherry. Mrs. Fields makes it sound like I should be selling cookies in the mall, even if I do look like I've sampled more than my fair share of them", she says with a chuckle, as she indicates her large girth. "At least you have an excuse", she nods towards Sharpay's tummy, but before Sharpay can even think to be mortified, Mrs. Fields, plunges on. "Lisa explained that you're living with them now. The Boltons are such wonderful people. You know, I wasn't always like this; I used to be thin when I was young --- captain of my cheerleading squad in high school, believe it or not. But alas", she sighs dramatically, "it's the curse of women in my family. Never fails...before we turn thirty, we suddenly balloon out like,...,well, balloons." Mrs. Fields giggles like a school girl at her own joke. The rolls of fat on her stomach jiggle as she laughs and Sharpay is irreverently reminded of Santa Claus in the poem, The Night Before Christmas:

"**He had a broad face and a little round belly,  
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!"**

Sharpay is just standing there stunned. It doesn't look like Mrs. Fields has taken a single breath since she started talking. However, despite her insistent, non-stop talking, Sharpay likes her immediately.

"Well, enough of my yammering, let's go introduce you to Missy. I'm sure you'll get on famously with her."

Mrs. Fields leads Sharpay through the immense two story foyer, the ultra-modern stainless-steel kitchen and into the dining room. When Sharpay enters the enormous formal dining room, it's difficult to say who has the more stunned expression on her face: Sharpay or Melissa.

"Melissa?", Sharpay exclaims in surprise, then she realizes that Missy is a nickname for Melissa.

"Sharpay Evans?", Melissa says with more disdain than surprise in her voice. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Melissa! Where are your manners? Sharpay is here to help you with your math, young lady."

"Her?! You said my tutor was Gabriella Montez", Melissa insists.

"No, I didn't, Missy. You said that. I said..."

"You said, she was Troy Bolton's...", then, it hit her.

Her tutor is Sharpay Evans, _not_ Gabriella Montez. Her tutor _is_ Troy Bolton's girlfiend; Sharpay Evans is _pregnant _(this she knew since that night at the movies); therefore, Daddy is..., "Holy Shit", Melissa lets slip before she realizes what she's saying.

"Melissa Anne Fields", screams her mother, "Your mouth, young lady!"

"Sorry, Mom", Melissa says sheepishly, "but it's just such a _pleasant _surprise to see Sharpay here! How are you, Shar?", Melissa asks in her syrupy sweet voice. "I had no idea you were expecting! You must be so excited!", she adds in an irritatingly high-pitch squeal. "Of course, it does cut down on you tanning time, I imagine."

"Um, hi Melissa. What a ... surprise to see you, too", Sharpay says in a subdued tone.

"Oh, this is wonderful", Sherry Fields gushes, "I had no idea you two knew each other. Well, I'll leave you alone so you can get to work. And I don't want the two of you to sit here and socialize the whole time. I remember how it was when two girl friends get together...just talk, talk, talk and then, before you know it, it's time for Sharpay to leave and you haven't gotten any work done."

Mrs. Fields leaves the room and shuts the two sliding doors shut behind her.

After she looks to make sure her mother has left, Melissa turns to Sharpay and smirks, "So...you're supposed to help me pass math, huh? When did you get so smart? 'Cause you don't look very smart to me, right now", she says as she leers at Sharpay's extended stomach. Gone is the sugary sweet cheerleader. This is the callous, manipulative teenager who most people have been lucky enough to avoid.

Sharpay unconsciously puts a hand over her belly while consciously taking a deep breath. She decides to take the high road and do her best to ignore this spiteful teenager's taunts. "You may think what you want, Melissa, but I'm here because your mother hired me to help you and that's what I plan on doing. Now, let's get to work."

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One hour and forty-five minutes later, Sharpay's nerves are frayed, her head hurts and she's about to walk out on this job, but not until she chokes the life out of this twit, Melissa. They've gone over the same material over and over again and she still doesn't seem to understand anything. Melissa just keeps asking Sharpay to work through more and more examples for her. And she's been whining continually. They are working on graphing parabolas and Sharpay has already completed at least twenty problems. Suddenly, Mrs. Fields opens up the doors and sweeps into the room carrying a large plate of caramel brownies on a tray with two glasses of milk.

"Well, since you girls have been working so hard, I thought you'd like to end a few minutes early and have a little snack."

Both Melissa and Sharpay breath a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Did you get much accomplished?", Mrs. Fields asks as she sets the tray down on the table.

Melissa grabs a brownie immediately and starts to shove it in her mouth. "Mmmm", she mumbles, "Sharpay's great; she has lots of patience."

Sharpay looks at her in dismay. This can't possibly be the same person who's been whining and complaining for almost two hours and constantly telling Sharpay to slow down.

"Wonderful", praises her mother, "then let's plan on these sessions three times a week, so we'll see you again on Wednesday, and then on Friday. How does that sound, Sharpay dear?"

Sharpay slowly reaches out to pick up one of the glasses of milk and takes a sip while she tries to think of a tactful way to get out of this intolerable situation. However, Mrs. Fields doesn't give her a chance to reply before she starts talking again.

"Oh, do have a brownie, dear. Otherwise, I'll just eat them all and I certainly don't need it."

"Oh, thank you, but no. Chocolate gives me terrible heartburn. Actually, most things do, so I think I'll just stick with the milk. It's one of the few things that doesn't bother me."

"Oh my! Pregnancy heartburn. Well, it's more like acid reflux. Am I right? Because Missy gave me that something awful. My mother always said it means that the baby is going to be born with a full head of hair, but it certainly wasn't true with Melissa, here. She was as bald as a billiard ball until she was a year old. I used to have to glue little bows to her head so people wouldn't think she was a boy."

"Mother...", exclaims an exasperated Melissa as she reaches for her second brownie.

Then, before Sharpay finally has a chance to tell Mrs. Fields that she won't be coming back, the door chiming interrupts them.

"Oh, hang on there, girls. That's probably your ride, Sharpay. Let me get it."

As soon as Mrs. Fields opens the door, Sharpay hears Coach Bolton's voice echoing through the large voluminous foyer.

"Actually, it's a bit of a minor emergence, Sherry, and I need to get Sharpay as quickly as possible. It's a family matter", Jack says anxiously.

Sharpay quickly gathers up her things and hurries out of the room without giving Melissa a second glance.

"Coach? What's wrong?", Sharpay asks worriedly when she joins him at the front entry door.

"Later, Sharpay. Let's just get going now", and then to Mrs. Fields, he adds, "Goodbye Sherry, we'll talk soon."

Coach Bolton hustles Sharpay out the door and into his truck.

"What's going on, Coach? What's wrong?", Sharpay asks with concern.

"Just hold on a few more minutes, Sharpay. Buckle up."

He cranks the truck and shifts it into reverse. Then, he slams on the brakes when he hears Sherry Fields calling after them.

"Wait!", Sherry calls as she hurries out of the house trying to catch Jack and Sharpay. She doesn't see Jack Bolton winch when he hears her voice.

"Oh good, I almost didn't catch you", Sherry wheezes when she finally reaches the truck near the end of the short driveway.

"I almost forgot this, Sharpay", she hands Sharpay two twenty dollar bills through the open window, "and we'll see you at seven sharp on Wednesday evening. I think things went really well tonight, don't you, dear?"

"Gotta go, Sherry", Jack says flatly as he lets off the brakes and Sherry Fields is forced to step back away from the truck as he backs out of the driveway.

Once they get out onto the road, Jack glances over to Sharpay and explains, "Sorry about all the drama, Sharpay, but if you can't come up with a life and death situation, Sherry Fields would just talk and talk and it would be another hour before we got out of there."

"You mean there isn't any 'family emergency'?"

"Sorry again, if I scared you", Coach says with a small smile.

"Oh no, that's perfectly fine. I owe you one."

"Yep, that woman can talk a blue streak..., but how do I get you out on Wednesday?"

"I don't really even want to go back, Coach", Sharpay says pitifully.

"Things didn't go well?"

"I don't know; maybe I'm not really cut out for this, after all. She didn't seem to understand anything I was saying..."

"Well, don't give up yet because I've got you someone else for you tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh no...", Sharpay groans.

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As is her custom, Sharpay waits for Troy to come home from work before going to bed. Plus, she is still on edge from dealing with Melissa. She is sipping on a cup of herbal tea when Troy walks through the door. He looks tired; this busy schedule is starting to take its toil on him. However, in spite of his fatigue, his face lights up as soon as he sees Sharpay. She immediately returns his smile and she rises to meet him half way across the kitchen floor. They embrace and share a deep kiss. They end the kiss after a few minutes, but still continue hugging as Sharpay buries her head in his chest and Troy lays his cheek on top of her head.

Because of Sharpay's physical therapy appointment, they weren't able to have lunch today and by the time she returned, Troy had already left for his job.

"I missed you", Troy says breathlessly into her hair.

"Me, too", Sharpay mumbles, without lifting her head.

"You feel tense; are you okay?", Troy asks with concern.

Lifting her head up to look at his face, she says, "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess. It's just...I had my first tutoring session tonight and it didn't go so great."

"Right...with my mom's boss' daughter. Man, that woman can talk a blue streak..."

A small giggle escapes Sharpay's mouth, "That's the same thing your father said...what an odd expression. But anyway, she wasn't the problem. It was her daughter. Did you know Sherry Field's daughter is Melissa Fields from our school."

"Melissa Fields? You're kidding. Oh God, I can't seem to get away from her", Troy moans.

"What are you talking about?", Sharpay asks suspiciously.

"She's in summer school class with me and she won't leave me alone. She's always trying to start conversations with me and giggling at everything I say. She's a real pain."

"I think I'm going to quit. I mean the money is great, but she's..."

"Hey, I haven't seen you since early this morning and really don't want to waste our time together talking about that brainless cheerleader."

"You're right."

"Good, 'cause I need you to check my homework and see if it's right", Troy says sincerely.

"What!? I'm so sick of math right now; I don't think I'd recognize the right answer if I saw it. And besides, I thought you wanted to spend some quality time with me", she says with a cute little coy whine in her voice.

"How 'bout we sit on the sofa and you check my homework while I try to distract you?", Troy suggests as he waggles his eyebrows and gently starts to guide her towards the aforementioned sofa.

"Weeeell okay, but only if the distraction is worthwhile."

Sharpay sits down on the sofa and pulls the coffee table closer to the sofa so she can comfortably prop her feet up. Troy joins her shortly, after grabbing his school stuff.

"Okay, we're graphing parabolas and the teacher gave us problems out of a different workbook than we normally use. So here they are", he says as he tries to hands her his completed problem set.

"Okay, Bolton. I'm not touching this stuff 'til you start with the distracting", Sharpay says seductively as she pushes him down on the couch and perches herself over him and leans down towards his lips. She probably wouldn't be able to do this in couple of months. Her stomach would definitely get in the way. The homework lands on the coffee table, abandoned.

Sharpay licks Troy's lips so that they're warm, and then gently blows on them. The sudden cold blast makes for a sensual explosion and Troy responds by emitting a deep moan. He quickly plunges his tongue into her warm mouth and their tongues start to battle in a seductive dance in each other's mouths. Sharpay is reminded of something she read once. _The life and soul are thought to pass through the mouth's breath in the exchange across tongues during a sensual kiss._

Troy hand starts to snake its way up under her top trying to reach her full breast. Sharpay chooses that exact moment to open her eyes and look into Troy's, but she accidentally glances over at Troy's homework sheet. She pulls back from Troy as if she's been burned.

"That bitch!", Sharpay says angrily and she swings her legs around, but remains sitting on Troy. She reaches over and grabs the homework sheet and doesn't even notices Troy's very audible groan as she shifts position on his lap.

"I can't believe this. That manipulative, little bitch!"

"Shar,...,Shar, please. You need to get off my lap, please", Troy groans through gritted teeth.

Sharpay looks down at him in confusion, but upon seeing the look of pain on his face, quickly realizes his predicament. She blushes deeply and literally jumps up off of him.

Troy sighs in relief. "What's going on?", he says frustratingly.

"Melissa. That's what's going on! She tricked me into do all of her homework tonight. I just thought she was stupid. Well, she is stupid, but she's also evil."

"Man, that sucks. What are you going to do?", Troy comments as he tries to adjust his jeans to make himself more comfortable.

"Ahh, revenge is sweet", Sharpay says cynically.

TBC

A/N 1: Start date: June 15, 2006 --- centimetering along as a snail's pace.

A/N 2: Remember, Troy likes classic rock and the song is, obviously, Amanda from Boston's third album, Third Stage.

A/N 3: You guys are going to love this. I know she's only half way through this pregnancy, but I want name suggestions. What should they name this little girl? So far we have April and Amanda --- just hung up on the A's for some reason.

A/N 4: Despite the whole " revenge is sweet" quote, I really have no idea what to do to this girl. Any suggestions? Oh, and I had to change Melissa's last name from a previous chapter. A friend of mine says that Fills is too close to her real name so it became Fields which worked out great with the whole Mrs. Field's cookie line.


	27. Ch 26: Revenge and Reconsummating

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 26: Re-venge and Re-consummating**

Fifteen minutes later, Sharpay is pacing angrily across the floor and Troy is still sitting on the couch. He is frustratingly rubbing his face with the palm of his right hand. Sharpay is loudly fuming over how Melissa Fields tricked her into completing all of her homework for her. Troy is inwardly fuming over losing yet another moment with Sharpay.

"I need to think of something to do to her to get even", Sharpay says as she stops pacing and places her hands on her hips as she strikes a deviant stance. The effect of it is ruined because of her protruding tummy. Troy can't help but smile a little.

"What's so funny?", Sharpay questions suspiciously as her eyes narrow.

"Nothing, nothing at all", Troy denies vehemently.

"So, what do I do?"

"What if you just put all the wrong answers on her homework and she gets an F?", Troy suggests.

"I can't do that, then I'd be no better than her. Besides whatever it is, she needs to do it to herself." 

"Huh?"

"Oh, you just don't understand the art of revenge."

She starts pacing again for about thirty seconds and then, suddenly turns to Troy.

"When's your first test?", Sharpay asks excitedly.

"Friday, why?"

"And Mr. Nelson is your teacher, right?", at Troy's nod, a smile appears on her face and she continues. "Well, I had him last year and he always nails one or two students on the first test...see he has this odd hatred for programmable calculators...kinda like Mrs. Darbus and cell phones, anyway..."

And Sharpay proceeds to explain her plan.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Tuesday goes much better for Sharpay and she meets her new students that Coach Bolton found for her. They are Kayla and Kelsi Robertson, identical twins. Their parents are both full professors at the University of New Mexico and to say they are overachievers would be an understatement. The twelve year old twins are at the top of their class, but their parents feel they should continue studying through the summer so they don't fall behind. That's fine with Sharpay; it was an easy and fun $50 for an hour and a half of work. They are smart and funny and enthusiastic about learning.

Sharpay makes her way into the kitchen to get a snack before her final student arrives at 5:00 p.m. She starts to reach for an apple when she suddenly stops moving and gets a contemplative look on her face. To an outside observer it looks like Sharpay is playing a serious game of freeze tag. Then, she places a hand over her tummy and her contemplative look turns into a look of wonder, amazement, and then, pure joy. Over the past week, she's started to feel flutters inside her womb, like butterfly wings. But this, this is different; this is a definite kick. If she concentrates very hard, she can feel it...yes, definitely thumping against her hand. _Oh, I've got to tell someone._ Suddenly, she realizes that she's completely alone in the house. Sharpay has never in her life felt a greater need to share something with someone and there's no one here.

Just then, the doorbell rings and Sharpay runs to the door like a woman possessed. She flings it open and grabs the arm of the person standing there. Only belatedly does she realize that its Zeke Baylor whom she has accosted.

"Zeke, you're here early", Sharpay exclaims, "Come in!"

Before Zeke realizes what is happening, he is being bodily hauled into the Bolton's house by the petite Sharpay Evans. Who would have thought that such a tiny girl could be so strong? When Coach Bolton arranged for him to be tutored by none other than Sharpay Evans, he was apprehensive, to say the least. He hasn't talk to her since that fateful night back in February and then, when Chad told him that she got pregnant as a result of that night... well, let's just say...petrified is no exaggeration. However, Coach is afraid that if he doesn't get some outside help in math that he won't be able to maintain the required B average to stay in varsity sports.

"This is sooo exciting; I just have to share it with someone", Sharpay gushes as she closes the door. Then, she turns around and grabs Zeke's hand and presses it to her abdomen.

Zeke's eyes widen in shock. This is definitely not how he thought his first tutoring session would go. He pulls his hand back as if it's on fire.

"No! Be still!", Sharpay orders as she lifts her shirt for better access and, once again, places his hand against her stomach. This time with no clothing to interfere. "Now, be quiet and wait a minute."

They both stand perfectly still --- Sharpay in barely contained excitement, Zeke in barely controlled terror. She repositions his hand to a lower place on her tummy. Then, a slow smile appears on Sharpay's face as her eyes light up. Zeke's brow wrinkles in confusion.

"Is that...what is that?", Zeke asks.

"That's my baby", Sharpay replies in a whisper, "You're the first one to feel this, well, besides me, of course."

"Wow..."

"Yeah."

Then, Sharpay realizes the awkwardness of the situation and suddenly pushes his hand away as she starts to straighten her blouse.

"Um...sorry about that, but this is the first time I've felt her kick and I just _had _to share it with someone."

"That's okay...um...I'm honored. It really is pretty amazing."

There's an embarrassing silence which Zeke breaks first.

"I...I just wanted to say how sorry I am about everything that happened", Zeke stumbles over the words as his eyes inadvertently drift down to her midsection. "I...I mean about the cookies and all."

"Troy and I have talked...a lot. I know you didn't intend for anything really bad to happen...it just happened. And I can't honestly say that I would have chosen this", she pats her tummy, "but now that it has happened some other truths have come to light that never would have been known, otherwise. And Troy and I are really trying to make this all work and his parents are amazing. And even though my life has irreversibly changed, I actually now believe that it's a change for the better."

Zeke visibly relaxes at her words. "Oh, that's a relief. I thought you were going to beat me up when you dragged me into the house just now. I...I brought you some baked goods --- not cookies, and not chocolate. My mom couldn't have chocolate when she was pregnant with my little brother, so I thought you might be the same way."

Sharpay can't help but smile at the thoughtful gesture. "That's so sweet. Why don't we get started on this whole math thing, okay?", she suggests as she leads him over to the kitchen table where her class materials are already laid out.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

An hour later, they are still working through some trouble spots that Zeke is having with the quadratic formula. However, Zeke is attentive and fairly quick to understand the basic concepts. The two of them, mostly Sharpay, have finished up the plate of goodies. Zeke brought a delicious selection of desserts, including iced lemon pound cake and coconut cream pie. Sharpay is in heaven.

Unexpectedly, the kitchen entry door opens and Troy walks in. He is covered in at least three different colors of bright Disney paint --- Pretty in Pink, Tinker Bell, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Blue. He looks like a walking little girl's room.

"Oh my, Troy. What happened?", Sharpay asks as she hides her mouth behind her hand to cover up her grin.

An explosive sound erupts from Zeke's mouth as he tries to stifle his own laughter.

Troy isn't as amused as they are.

"There was an accident with the paint shaker", Troy grumbles as he starts to trudge further into the kitchen.

"STOP!", both Sharpay and Zeke shout at the same time.

"What?!", shouts back, an exasperated Troy.

"You're going to get paint all over your mom's floor", explains Sharpay.

"Yeah, it'll be really hard to clean up", adds Zeke.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Go back outside and take off your clothes. Then, come in and go straight to the bathroom", explains Sharpay, logically.

"What?!", Troy and Zeke ask disbelievingly.

"Well, it's not like I haven't already seen everything anyway, Troy", Sharpay says with a knowing smirk.

"Okaaay", Troy agrees, reluctantly, and he goes back out through the door.

"Ummm, I'll just start cleaning up these drips on the floor", Zeke says nervously, pointing to the paint stains from where Troy was standing.

Troy and Sharpay are standing in the backyard, near the door to the kitchen. Troy strips down to his underwear which only has a few paint splatters which have soaked through. Sharpay has procured a large black trash bag and Troy is dropping his clothes into the bag as he takes them off. He starts to head back into the house.

"Uh, uh. Nope, not going to happen. You'll still manage to get paint on something with those on", Sharpay says as she indicates his boxer briefs.

"Sharpay...", he whines.

"Off with them, Bolton", she orders.

He slowly complies and Sharpay, unashamedly, holds out the plastic bag for him to deposit his briefs. Troy quickly puts his hands over his pertinent body parts to cover himself.

"Now, turn around."

"What?!", Troy squeals in an embarrassedly, high-pitched voice.

"I said turn around. You've got paint on your back and I need to wash it off before it dries", Sharpay explains as she cinches up the bag and steps closer to him with a wet wash cloth which Troy hadn't noticed earlier.

"Okay, but be careful. I have delicate skin", Troy says as he turns around.

"Oh, I'll be as gentle as a lamb", Sharpay promises as she raises the cloth to his back, but stops at the last second. "I almost forgot to tell you; the baby moved today."

"Really?!", Troy says excitedly as whips around to look at Sharpay. He takes one of his hand away from his privates and moves it out to touch her.

"No way, Bolton! You'll get paint all over me. Now, turn back around", she orders.

When she first touches his back with the cloth, Troy lets out an unexpected moan. At first, Sharpay thinks it's because the wet cloth is too cold, but she soon realizes it's a moan of pleasure not discomfort. Smiling mischievously, she purposefully slows down and starts to drag the cloth across his back in languid strokes. Then, becoming more bold, she uses her other hand to gently (since his skin is so delicate) massage his gorgeous, sculpted rear end.

Zeke chooses this exact moment to walk out of the house.

"Oh, Lord!", Zeke exclaims as he tries to avert his eyes, "um...um...the kitchen's clean! Why don't I take a look at Troy's car. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Right now. Yep, here's me going to clean Troy's car cuz I didn't see anything." And he scurries off like a rabbit.

_Damnit!_, thinks Sharpay as Troy pulls away from her. Every blasted time something interrupts them. Okay, so maybe standing in Bolton's backyard isn't the best place to start this anyway, but...

"Uggh!", Sharpay blurts out.

"I, um, guess I'll go clean up", Troy announces.

"Yeah, you definitely need to go take care of _that_", Sharpay says, pointedly, as she gives his lower mid-section a glance which he is now having difficulty hiding behind his hands.

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The next night, Sharpay shows up on the Field's doorstep with a smile on her face. Yes, tonight will be the start of Operation Revenge. On the way over to the Field's house, Sharpay had questioned why the other students come to her, but she had to go to Melissa for tutoring. Coach Bolton chuckled when he told her that Mrs. Fields was afraid she would get _lost_ trying to find the house. In other words her mother didn't trust her. Well, it's just as well, because for this whole revenge thing to work, they need to be at Melissa's house. That won't actually happen until Friday, if all goes as planned. Tonight is the set-up.

After an hour and a half of trudging through Melissa's homework, Sharpay is finished and she starts casually discussing the upcoming test on Friday.

"Are there any areas where you think you are still having difficulties?", Sharpay asks sincerely. Well, not really; after all, she is an actress.

"Everything?", Melissa replies, weakly.

"Man, it's a shame I can't be there with you to help." Melissa's eyes light up. She can't believe Sharpay would even make the offer. After the last session she was convinced that Sharpay hated her. "But that wouldn't be ethical, you know?", Sharpay says sadly. The light in Melissa's eyes burns out. "I always find it helpful to practice copying down all the formulas on a sheet of paper --- not a cheat sheet, of course. Once again, that wouldn't be ethical."

"Oh, well...I guess I could try that."

"I've heard that some people...well, no...that wouldn't be ethical either...so never mind."

"What? What do some people do? Will it help me?", Melissa pleads desperately.

Sharpay's voice drops to a stage whisper, "Well,...I've heard that some people put those formulas and examples and such in their programmable calculators", then she quickly adds, "but you shouldn't do that. Why if you got caught...I don't even want to think about that happening."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to do anything unethical", Melissa says as the wheels in her mind start turning.

"Good, because if you were dependent on the calculator and it lost power or something, you'd be up the creek. So my advise is just to sit down and memorize those formulas and practice, practice, practice", Sharpay says in an overly friendly manner, reminiscent of Melissa, herself.

They both hear Coach Bolton beep the horn and Sharpay reluctantly announces, "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Good luck on your test and I'll see you on Friday." God, she is such a good actress.

As Sharpay closes the Fields' front door behind her, her smile brightens when she hears Melissa asking her mother, "Mom, do you know where the instruction manual for my calculator is?"

The trap is laid.

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Sharpay is nervously tapping her fingers on the table as she waits for Troy to come back from classes. It's Friday and today she will find out if her revenge worked. At 12:30 sharp Troy walks through the door with a frown on his face. _Oh no_, she thinks. _It didn't work or worse Troy's the one who failed._

"What went wrong?", an anxious Sharpay asks as she rounds the table to walk over to Troy.

"Well..." He can't stand it any longer. Troy's face breaks into a huge grin. "Everything worked like clock-work."

"You jerk, you had me worried", she chastises him and gives him a, not so gentle, slug on the side of the arm.

"Ouch! Hey, that hurt. So do you want to know what happened or not?"

"Of course, I do and quit being such a big baby."

"Okay, okay. Here's what happened."

_The entire class sits anxiously in the overly-quiet classroom. No one is this class wants to be there. After all, this is summer school. They also share something else in common. A passing grade in this class is paramount. Failure will mean being 'left back' --- a phrase that strikes fear into the most jaded student. Because being left back means no phone, no computer, no friends, no after-school job, no independence. There will be four tests in the class and together they will comprise 50 of the final grade. Homework counts 25 and the cumulative final exam will count 25 on its own. In other words, this test is important as it is extremely hard to pull up a bad grade._

_Mr. Nelson enters and strides to his desk at the front of the room._

"_Okay, guys...and gals. LOL." Mr. Nelson is one of those irritating teachers who tries to be popular by trying to talk like his students. It usually doesn't work out well. "I hope everyone's ready for the test today. As a special treat, when you've finished the test, you may leave class early. I know you're all chomping at the bit to get started, so...first everyone turn off your cell phones. Next, everyone please remove the batteries from your calculators. We will then wait five minutes for the memories to be wiped clean and then...we'll start the test."_

_There are a couple of moans from around the room, but everyone does as they're instructed. Melissa Fields is sitting next to Troy Bolton, as usual. Troy serendipitously watches her out the corner of his eye. She has just turned a sickly color of green._

"_Now remember, showing your work is where most of the credit for a problem comes from. I need to see that you understand what you're doing", Mr. Nelson explains further while they wait the alotted five minutes. "Just think about that wonderful Caramel Macchiato you'll be getting at Starbucks when this is over."_

_Mr. Nelson continues talking for the next four minutes expounding of the virtues of almost every beverage the Starbucks sells. _

_Finally..._

"_Okay, time's up. You may reinsert your batteries and let's get this party started."_

_The tests are passed from front to back and when Troy receives his, he looks at it with confidence. He digs right in and starts answering questions. He is one of the first to finish and when he walks to the front to hand in his paper, he can't help but take a glance at Melissa's paper. It's almost blank and she actually looks like she might be physically sick._

"So she was still there when you left?", Sharpay asks.

"Yep, for all I know, she may still be there."

"Oh, I almost forgot...how did you do?", she asks with a flush. She is so caught up in the whole revenge thing that she had forgotten to ask.

"It was a piece of cake."

"I knew you could do it", Sharpay says with pride and walks closer to him and pulls him into a hug.

"Are you sure you're up to facing that bitch's wraith tonight? I mean she may be stupid, but she's not ignorant. She'll know you set her up."

"Why Troy, I'm shocked", Sharpay exclaims in false dismay, "I very distinctly advised her to not cheat."

"Yeah...right. You just keep right on believing that. Hey, good news. I don't have to work today. The paint department's closed today. They're...um...installing a new paint shaker."

"I felt so sorry for you", Sharpay says sincerely, remembering how he looked when he was all covered in paint, "You looked so miserable, but that Bibbidi Boddidi Blue really did bring out your eyes."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Sharpay arrives on time at the Fields' house for, what she hopes will be, the last time. Troy is waiting down the block for her. This shouldn't take long.

Mrs. Fields shows her into the dining room and they are both surprised to find it empty.

"Oh, Missy must have stepped out. She's been in a really bad mood today --- must be PMS. Let me just go find her", Mrs. Fields leaves the double doors open when she leaves.

_Well, that's a bummer. I'm all ready for a showdown and she's not even here._

Sharpay sits down on the edge of one of the dining room chairs and waits. She doesn't have to wait long.

"You bitch! I didn't think you'd have the nerve to show your face here again", Melissa fumes as she storms into the room.

"Melissa...I guess the test didn't go so well, huh?", Sharpay says weakly.

"Didn't go so well?", she repeats with venom in her voice. "You set me up!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're the one who gave the idea about putting those formulas in my calculator."

"Just hold on, as I remember it, I'm the one who told you to NOT do that."

"You put the idea in my head."

"Well, why didn't you just study like I told you. I never told you to cheat...that would be unethical."

"Unethical!", she shrieks, "Oh, you mean like stealing someone else's boyfriend and then getting pregnant on purpose...that kind of unethical."

"What are you talking about?", Sharpay asks in a dangerously low voice. She starts to stalk toward Melissa who backs out of the room and into the adjoining kitchen.

"You, you bitch. I'm talking about you", Melissa tries to sound tough, but there's a slight tremor in her voice and she continues to walk backwards until Melissa's back hits the edge of the kitchen counter on the island in the middle of the room. "You, somehow, stole Troy Bolton from Gabriella Montez, just like you stole Matthew Adams from me back in ninth grade."

She stops her advance on Melissa and gets a puzzled look on her face. "Matthew Adams? Who's Matthew Adams?", she honestly asks.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. He was mine. He was a senior when we were freshmen and you threw yourself at him. When I let him know I was interested in him, he told me he was only interested in you. You, bitch!"

_Matthew Adams_...now Sharpay remembered. When she and Ryan were in ninth grade, the three of them, Matthew, Ryan and she, were the leads in the big school production that spring. Anyway, he was a nice guy as she remembered and very cute, but..._oh, my_. Now, she remembered what actually happened with Matthew Adams. She wasn't the one Matthew was crushing on; it was Ryan. He confessed his feelings to Ryan after the last performance of the play. That would be the final production of his senior year. Ryan was mortified. Ryan, flatly, turned him down and explained that he wasn't _that_ way. In fact Ryan was so embarrassed by the whole thing that he stopped wearing his precious hats for the rest of the year, thinking they made him look gay. She always felt sorry for Matthew. He was a sweet guy and she knew it took a lot of courage for him to approach Ryan like that. Ryan's rejection put Matthew firmly back in the closet. She hadn't heard from him since he graduated over three years ago.

"That's why I started all those rumors about you at school. I know you had to be putting out for him; that's the only reason someone like him would be interested in someone like you. And I was right, wasn't I? Looks like you put out a little too much when you stole Troy Bolton, am I right?", Melissa hisses with malice.

"You ... have ... no ... idea ... what ... you're ... talking ... about", Sharpay says very slowly, letting the words sink in as she says them.

"Oh, I think I do and you think you're so smart...I've been manipulating you the whole time. Didn't you figure it out, huh? You stupid bitch, you've been doing my homework all week."

"I think that's enough, Missy", Mrs. Fields says firmly as she enters the room from behind Melissa. She had obviously heard the entire conversation. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, Sharpay, but I'm afraid we won't be needing your services anymore. Melissa is going to have to have to figure out her math on her own."

Melissa turns to her mother in shock. "But...Mom...you can't..."

"Oh yes, I can, Melissa. I'm very disappointed in you. I'm going to walk Sharpay out now. We'll talk when I get back", and then with a sigh of sympathy, she adds, "There's some rocky road ice cream in frig. Why don't you fix a bowl for both of us? I think we're going to need it."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

After reassuring Mrs. Fields that she would be fine to call for her ride, Sharpay bounces down the street towards Troy's waiting car.

"Hey, how'd it go?", he asks when she gets in.

"Great, better than expected. I got fired, but...I got a big honking severance check. Take a look at this!", Sharpay exclaims proudly and she holds a check out to Troy. Mrs. Fields felt so bad about what happened that she wrote Sharpay a check for her troubles.

"Wow, $250!!", Troy nearly shouts. He tries to take it from her hands to look at it more closely.

Sharpay pulls it away from him at the last second. "No way, this goes directly into a saving account --- for clothes, diapers and such." She takes the check and tucks it into the top of her blouse.

"You don't think it's going to be safe from me there, do you?", he says with a grin as he flashes her those devastatingly beautiful blue eyes.

"No fair...", Sharpay murmurs weakly, then she shakes her head to regain her senses. "I also found out who was behind those rumors about me at school."

"Melissa? Wow, it really is a small world."

"She said some really cruel things about me too. I'm afraid it might be shades of things to come. New rumors for her to spread around...", Sharpay sighs.

"Hey, don't worry about anything. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

When they arrive back at the house, Troy finds a note from his parents. He reads it silently to himself and let's out a small chuckle when he finishes.

"What is it?", Sharpay asks as she comes up behind him.

"A note from Mom and Dad. They've gone to the movies", he explains.

"And that's funny...how?"

"It says they're going to go see, _The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift_", Troy says with a smirk.

"Eeewww!", Sharpay exclaims in disgust.

"Obviously, Dad got to pick the movie."

"Sooooo, what do we going to do...here...all alone?", Sharpay purrs as wraps her arms around him from behind.

"I'm sure we'll think of...", Troy starts to reply when Sharpay, unexpectedly and intrepidly, grabs his crotch.

Forty-five minutes later, Sharpay lifts herself off of Troy and flops down beside him, exhausted.

"Wow...", Troy says breathlessly, "That was way better than at that hotel. You're...you're amazing."

"It's the hormones", Sharpay manages to rasp out as her chest heaves up and down, "Now, I know what it feels like to be a teenage boy...it's all I think about, lately."

Troy turns onto his side to face Sharpay as he lifts his upper body up on his elbow. They are lying on Troy's bed where Sharpay led him immediately after their initial encounter in the kitchen. She was definitely the dominate this evening. Troy gazes lovingly at her and is amazed at how beautiful she looks. Her skin is glowing with the sheen from their co-mingled sweat and she is still trying to catch her breath, causing her already enlarged breasts to bounce slightly as she gulps in large amounts of air. He is just about to reach out and touch her when he notices her stomach, moderately swollen with their child.

"Oh God, Shar", Troy exclaims with concern as his hand hovers over her belly, "are you okay?"

Troy is staring at her tummy in abject terror. It's like something out of the first Alien movie (one of Troy's favorites, by the way). When the whole crew were in the mess hall and the creature unexpectedly bursts through Kane's chest and kills him. _Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like, _Troy decides. Sharpay's stomach is rippling and he cautiously lays his hand down to feel it. Her tummy is as rock hard and he can feel something thumping a drumbeat against his palm. He pulls his hand back quickly before it busts out.

Sharpay captures his hand and puts it back on her stomach.

"It's perfectly normal, Troy", Sharpay says calmly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, see my uterus contracts when I ... well...that is...", Sharpay stumbles embarrassingly over her words.

"When you what?", Troy asks, still confused.

"When I have an _orgasm_, okay?", Sharpay whispers as if it's her deepest, darkest secret.

"Oh, _that_ was more than _okay_. I thought you were going to squeeze it off", Troy says with a grin.

"Ew, you're so disgusting", she says as she playfully bats at it him with her hand.

"You didn't think I was so disgusting a little while ago when you attacked me."

"I...attacked _you_?"

"Yeah, you did", Troy insists.

"Oh yeah...I guess I did, didn't I?", Sharpay confesses. "Well, in that case...move down to the bottom of the bed with your legs on the floor and your rear at the edge of the bed", and then adds as a afterthought, "Please?"

"Why?", Troy asks suspiciously.

"I just got this great idea of what I want to try next."

"_Next?_ I'm still recovering from the first time", Troy whines.

"Oh, come on. You're a teenage boy. You're at her peak when it comes to sexual ... stuff."

"You're so funny. You can barely talk about sex out loud, but your actions...whoa, Mama."

"Well...Troy, who's my Daddy?", she asks wickedly as she pulls him towards the bottom of the bed. With her pregnancy they are going to have to get quite inventive and she is ready to start tonight.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The Boltons come in around midnight after dinner and a movie, followed by dessert, consisting of double-dipped ice cream cones from Dairy Queen. They notice Troy's door closed, but think little of it as he has been closing it lately to keep the dog out. Sharpay's room is across the hall from theirs, so they can't help but notice that her door is open. The light from the hall illuminates the room enough to show them that her bed is still made and Buddy is laid out across the bed, sound asleep.

"Where could she be?", Jack asks with concern.

Lisa simply looks at him incredulously and whispers, "Where do you think she is, Jack?"

"What?!"

"Shhh, you don't want to wake anyone."

"Well, shouldn't we check, just to make sure. I mean, maybe she ran away or something", he suggests as he walks back up the hallway toward Troy's room.

"I'm not going there", Lisa says both literally and figuratively as she walks into their own room.

Jack proceeds quietly to Troy's room.

Lisa greets a beet-faced Jack as he comes back to their room about a minute later.

"Well?", she prompts.

"I didn't try the door. Ummm...didn't need too. She's in there alright, but they weren't asleep."

"If you didn't talk to them, then how do you...Oooh", Lisa says as understanding hits her. Then, she grins knowingly.

"I think _you _should march right down there and break this up", Jack says with more bravado then he actually has.

"Me? Why me?"

"Well, you're the one who brought her here in the first place."

"Jack, give me a break. What harm can it do, anyway? It's not like she's going to get anymore more pregnant than she already is."

"I guess...but my God, Lisa, she's pregnant. Should they even be doing anything?"

"Has it been that long, Jack Bolton?", Lisa asks him, still smiling, "Don't you remember how I was when I was expecting Troy?"

"What do you...oh. Right, I remember now. You were like...oh man."

"What?"

"Poor Troy", Jack says in sympathy.

"Come on, let's see if we can _remember_ some other things tonight", she says bewitchingly.

"Okay, but no thongs", he warns.

TBC

Well, they finally did it (again). I thought this chapter went much better than the last one. Let me know what you think. Sorry, I didn't use anyone's suggestions for the revenge, but like Sharpay said that would make her just like Melissa. I actually used part of Stessa's suggestion which she retracted as soon as she wrote it. Anyway, I actually heard of a professor in college who did that thing with the batteries.

A/N 1: The paint colors: Pretty in Pink, Tinker Bell (it's a pale green color), and Bibbidi Bobbidi Blue are real. They're part of the Disney collection at Home Depot.

A/N 2: Sharpay and Ryan's dad will be visiting tomorrow.

Begin Date: Monday, June 22, 2006 End date: Friday, June 26.


	28. Ch 27: A Time to Dance

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 27: A Time to Dance**

"Uggh", Troy moans as he reaches for the carton of orange juice in the refrigerator.

Jack Bolton, who is sitting at the kitchen table drinking his coffee, looks at his son curiously.

"You alright, son?"

Troy straightens up slowly, "Umm, yeah Dad, back's just a little sore...must have pulled something."

Jack doesn't reply. He just rolls his eyes and continues to sip his coffee. This growing up thing is getting harder and harder.

Sharpay peeks out of Troy's room to see if the hall is empty. Then, she slowly opens the door completely and walks across the hall to the bathroom. She is wearing Troy's Wildcats jersey and nothing else. It comes down to her mid-thigh, so at least, she is completely covered. She isn't trying to parade around half-dressed or blatantly advertise that she spent the night with Troy, but when she woke up this morning, _alone_, she couldn't find any of her clothes in his room. She vaguely remembers disposing of them before they made it to his bed. However, she's just not sure exactly where her clothes ended up.

After she finishes in the bathroom, her plan is to sneak back to her room and dress there. Then, she can search for the missing pieces of clothing, later. Unfortunately, when she opens the bathroom door, she finds Mrs. Bolton standing in the hallway with a load of clothes in her hands.

"Were you looking for these, Sharpay?", she asks wryly as she hands Sharpay the missing clothing. "I found them in the family room --- all over the living room --- in fact, one item was dangling from the ceiling fan."

Sharpay's eyes widen in shock when she hears this and her face flushes a bright pink. You'd think after everything she did with Troy last night that she would be incapable of still blushing.

"Umm, thank you, ma'am", she says as she quickly grabs the clothes from her and starts to head down the hall.

"Sharpay dear, I'm a little more worldly than Jack. Just be careful, if he sees you walking around like that, it might just give him a heart attack."

"Sorry, Mrs. Bolton. It won't happen again", she replies and once again turns to continue toward her room.

"Wait, Sharpay. I didn't mean to sound harsh. Under the circumstances I'm comfortable with you and Troy having an adult relationship --- just watch the PDAs, okay?"

"Okay, and thank you, again, Mrs. Bolton", she replies with a awkward smile.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy is just finishing his breakfast of cold cereal when Sharpay enters, now fully dressed. She walks up to him with a scowl on her face.

After looking around the room to insure that Troy is alone, Sharpay hisses to him in a low voice, "You were gone when I woke up."

"Sorry", Troy replies, sheepishly, "but I had to get ready for work."

"Well, I didn't have any clothes to wear", she says in an angry whisper.

"Oh, sorry...I forgot about that. I'll help you look for them."

"Never mind, your mom already found them."

"My mom?", Troy squeaks, "Oh, man, then she knows about last night."

"Actually, she was pretty cool about it, but she warned me that your dad is a little more uptight than her."

"That's an understatement", then dropping his voice lower, he asks, "Hey, how are you doing? Everything, okay?"

"I'm great", she whispers back, quietly, "why?"

"Oh, nothing...just that, well...you know ... sore muscles or something."

"No, I'm just fine...I...hey, wait...Are _you_ sore?"

"Maybe...a little...okay...a lot."

"Sorry...guess I'll have to be more gentle with you tonight."

"Tonight?", he squeaks again.

"Not scared, are you?"

"Of course not, but it's just that we need to be discrete, you know?"

"Whatever, Bolton. Anyway, today's the big day...I guess", Sharpay says reluctantly as she drastically changes the subject.

"Right...so where are you meeting Ryan and your dad?"

"At the aquarium."

"The aquarium? Who picked that?"

"It was Ryan's idea; I don't know why. I don't even think we've ever been there except for school field trips. Anyway, we're supposed to meet at eleven and I'm not looking forward to it. In fact I'm scared stiff."

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes, there is, Troy. I barely even remember him, and if even half of what my mother said is true, I'm glad I don't remember him."

He reaches across the table to take her hands in his.

"I wish I could be there with you", Troy says as he tries to comfort her.

"Thank you", she says sincerely, "but this is something I have to do on my own."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Three hours later, Jack Bolton pulls to a stop in the parking lot of the Albuquerque Aquarium. He looks over at Sharpay and says with concern, "You ready, Sharpay?"

"I guess so", Sharpay replies with trepidation, "Thanks for driving me over, Coach Bolton." She looks out the window and immediately spots Ryan standing near the entrance with an older man. Ryan is wearing one of his trademark hats. Sharpay has an irreverent thought, wondering how he managed to get any new hats. Maybe Chad has a hidden stash of them somewhere and he's letting Ryan borrow them. This brings a small smile to her face, despite the inner tension she's feeling.

"I can see them standing over there", she informs Jack as she points in their direction, "I guess I'll get ... my dad ... to call you when I'm ready to come back. Is that okay?"

"No, it's not", Jack says, emotionlessly.

Sharpay immediately thinks the worse. _ I knew he never wanted me here. _ _I guess this is the opportunity Coach has been waiting for. He's expecting me to go back home with my ... with that man._

"No, it's not okay, Sharpay", he repeats, "I'm going to walk you over there and check this guy out for myself", he says protectively as he gets out of the truck and walks around to the passenger side. He opens the door for her and continues, "And I brought you Troy's cell phone, he doesn't need it at work. You call me when you're ready to come home, understand?"

Jack is pulling Troy's phone out of his pocket and it takes him a moment to realize that Sharpay hasn't moved and is staring at the floorboard of the truck.

"Sharpay, honey, are you okay?", he asks in concern.

Sharpay looks up at him with her eyes bright in tears. She quickly blinks to release the tears and hurriedly wipes them away. Then she says in a shaky voice, "I'm sorry ... it's just I thought when you said it wasn't okay that I use my dad's phone to call you that it was because you didn't want me to come back at all."

Jack swallows hard at hearing this and immediately reaches forward to embrace her in a tight hug.

"Oh, Sharpay, I'm the one who should be sorry. I know I didn't treat you fairly at first and I'm afraid now that I've permanently scared our relationship. But, please understand this, you are now ... and will always be ... a part of this family and even if you do decide to live with your father, that won't change. And the decision of where you live should ultimately lie with you and I hope he allows you to make that decision on your own. And finally, I selfishly hope you choose to stay with us."

When they pull away from each other, both of them look a little misty eyed. Sharpay chuckles slightly and reaches in her purse to retrieve a tissue and hands it to Coach Bolton.

"Thanks", he mumbles, embarrassingly, as he accepts the tissue, "Lisa and all her emotional psycho babble must be rubbing off on me."

"Thanks for saying all that, Coach", Sharpay says awkwardly as she pulls out her own tissue, "you don't know how much hearing that means to me."

"Come on Sharpay, we don't want to keep them waiting", Jack says, trying to put an end to all this awkward touchy-feely stuff. There's only so much of that, that a guy can take.

They walk side by side across the parking lot towards Ryan and Bill Evans. Ryan looks like a younger twin of his dad. Bill Evans is in his early forties, but he still has an athletic build that shows he has taken excellent care of his body over the years. His eyes are the same shade of blue as Ryan's, but he has tiny crinkles around his eyes, commonly known as laugh lines. His blond hair is just starting to fade out before it starts to turn gray and his complexion is very pale, just like Ryan. Overall, Sharpay thinks he looks like a very pleasant and friendly person, not the ogre that Judith made him sound like.

Sharpay self-consciously smooths down her blouse. She is wearing a peach colored baby doll chamosile, which does little to disguise her bulging tummy. Nervously, she stops dead in her tracks and turns to Coach Bolton when they're about fifteen feet from her family.

"I can't do this, Coach Bolton. Please, take me back", she says with panic in her voice.

Immediately, he understands why she's suddenly wanting to back out. "Nonsense, Sharpay. Look at him, honey. He's not here to judge you. I think he honestly wants to meet you. It'll be okay", he reassures her.

"But if I want to leave early you'll come get me, right?", Sharpay asks like a nervous child going on her first sleepover.

"Of course, I will."

As they approach Ryan and his dad, Jack instantly takes the lead as a protective parent and offers his hand to Bill Evans.

"Jack Bolton", he announces as he makes eye contact with Bill Evans and shakes his hand in an overly manly-macho manner.

Bill Evans immediately recognizes a challenge when he sees it and returns the handshake with equal vigor.

"Bill Evans", he states, "You must be Coach Bolton. Ryan told me all about your family and how you've taken Sharpay in. I really appreciate it."

"Well, our entire family thinks a lot of Sharpay and wants to do whatever it takes to make sure she stays safe and happy", he says with a forced smile and a thinly veiled warning.

Ryan and Sharpay hug briefly and then stand together, mutely watching this display of machoism between these two strangers. The men release each others hands; both satisfied that the other is not a wimp and that they both understand each other's position.

Jack says to Sharpay, "Just call when you're ready." Then, he leaves the three of them standing next to the entrance to the aquarium.

Turning to his daughter, whom he hasn't seen in nearly twelve years, Bill wrings his hands nervously as he observes her looking at him through hooded eyes. He breaks the silence by saying awkwardly and a little too stiffly, "Hello, Sharpay. What...what have you been up to? How are you?"

"Well gosh, let's see", she says sarcastically, "This year has been pretty uneventful. I got pregnant; Mother drugged me, shipped me to a home for wayward girls in Colorado; my boyfriend and his mom rescued me and I've been living with them ever since. But before this year, not much has happened other than the normal growing up stuff. You know everything that you missed: our first day of Kindergarten, losing our first tooth, our first school play, middle school, high school...and so on. What have you been up to for the past twelve years, Daddy dearest?" She nearly spits out the word _Daddy_.

Before he can reply, Ryan interrupts them. "Sharpay, there's a lot we don't understand, but you've got to be willing to give him a chance, okay?"

Sharpay reluctantly agrees to give him a chance. After all, that's why she came here in the first place.

"Yeah, okay. Well, let's go on in, then", she says. Sharpay takes the lead and walks into the building, leaving the two males to follow after her.

When they enter the building, Ryan starts jumping around like an excited little boy. "We haven't been here in years. Hey Shar, do you remember the last time we were here?"

"I don't know...fifth grade field trip?", Sharpay says as she looks around the large building with a bored expression on her face. The highlight of the enormous room is the water tank in the center. Inside it are many different species of marine life.

"No, I mean _as a family_. It was when we were five. It was just you, me and Dad. He brought us here for our birthday", Ryan explains.

"I remember that", Bill contributes, "It was a wonderful day. That was when the aquarium had just opened." Because of the hostility that Sharpay just demonstrated, he is staying as far away from her as possible. Ryan is walking in the middle with Sharpay on his left and their dad on his right. Bill has been phoning and emailing with Ryan for almost a month now and even in the beginning, Ryan has always been very friendly. He certainly didn't expect her near-attack a few minutes ago.

"Don't you remember it, Shar? The manta ray raised itself up out of the water and you thought it was going to come out and start chasing you around the room. You ran screaming to Dad and he had to carry you around for the rest of day", Ryan reminds her and then chuckles to himself at the memory.

Sharpay becomes very quiet. She did remember that.

She remembers how frightened she was.

She remembers how safe and secure she felt in her daddy's arms.

She remembers how he held her and told her everything was going to be alright and he'd protect her from anything that might harm her. It was much like Coach Bolton had done a few minutes before.

Then suddenly, all her memories come flooding back to her. And like the air rushing back into the vacuum produced by a streak of lightening, the thunder of her memories is nearly deafening.

She remembers all the bedtime stories he read to her.

She remembers all the monsters he had not found under her bed, but for which he had willingly searched, anyway.

She remembers how he took them to Sunday school every week and said prayers with them every night.

She remembers all the boo-boos he had kissed.

She remembers all the tears he had dried.

She had honestly forgotten what a huge part of her life he had been. And even more significantly, these were memories of only Sharpay, Ryan and Daddy --- there was no Mother there to cloud her memory. She just wasn't there.

"Ye...", she stops to clear her throat, which has before suddenly tight. "Yeah, I remember too. I'd forgotten all about that. I'd forgotten all about you", Sharpay says with deep emotion in her voice as she stops and turns towards her father. "I'm so sorry I said all those things before. I'm so sorry I forgot you,... Daddy."

"Oh Pay Pay, my little baby girl." Bill's voice is also choked with emotion and he cautiously opens his arms to offer her a comforting hug.

Sharpay walks to him immediately and puts her arms around his waist as he pulls her close. Then, Bill reaches out his right hand and pulls Ryan in to share in the hug also.

After a few minutes, Bill lifts his head from Sharpay's shoulder and says in a whisper, "Is that the baby I feel kicking?"

Sharpay pulls back as if burned by fire. "I'm sorry..um... I shouldn't have gotten so close to you."

"Nonsense, honey. I'm not here to judge you. Hell, I've been there myself ... about ... say seventeen years ago."

"Oh", Sharpay says as she understands his meaning.

"Why don't we go over to the snack bar and get a table so we can talk without scaring the sea life?", Ryan suggests.

Sure enough, as they look around, quite a few people and a couple of those _scary_ mantra rays are trying to watch the trio without appearing to be watching them.

"That's a good idea, son", Bill says as he pats Ryan on the back.

Ryan just beams with pride. He isn't used to receiving compliments. Ryan leads them over to the small snack bar and a booth in the corner where they can talk in private.

Ryan leaves his dad and Sharpay alone while he goes to buy the three of them something to drink. Despite their fledgling reconciliation, Sharpay and Bill Evans are awkwardly quiet while waiting for Ryan to return.

"Here we go. Two Cokes for the men and a decaf herbal tea for the little lady", Ryan announces as he delivers their beverages and sits down beside Sharpay and across from their dad.

"Well, Sharpay, Ryan? I'm sorry I couldn't have been there when you were growing up, but there were reasons. You have to believe me", Bill says mysteriously.

"And?...", prompts Sharpay, skeptically.

"Well...it's really complicated --- part of the divorce decree was that I sever all connections with the two of you. I couldn't fight it."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?", Sharpay asks.

"Please believe me, I wanted the two of you. I wanted to get custody of you, but I couldn't fight her --- her power, her money."

"Okay, so Mother received full custody of us. You could have written to us or something", Sharpay points out.

"Yeah", Ryan adds in agreement. He has never thought to ask that before.

"I did...I did send you birthday cards every year for five years, but I got them all back, marked Rejected. I sent you presents: birthday and Christmas, but the same thing happened --- they were all returned."

"You could have tried harder. You could have met us when she didn't know about it --- found someway to contact us. You didn't even try that, did you? You just went and found yourself a new wife and started yourself a new family, right?" Ryan had already told her that Bill Evans had remarried and that he and his wife have a set of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl.

"No, you're wrong, Sharpay. You don't understand how twisted your mother was...still is, actually."

"Then, why don't you enlighten us?"

"Okay", Bill says as he swipes his head nervously through his hair, "this isn't easy to say, okay? She blackmailed me to stay away from the two of you. She ... she ... God, this is hard to say, even after all these years. She fabricated evidence that I had ... abused you, Sharpay. Um... sexually abused you. She showed me all the 'evidence' she had: pornographic pictures of you that I supposedly took, medical reports which documented that you had been sexually assaulted; that you had internal damage --- the implication, of course, was that I was responsible for that, too. She said she would turn it over to the police if I even tried to come back to this city. I hated to leave, but she didn't give me any choice."

"That's ridiculous. You never hurt me. I was never", and Sharpay's voice drops to a whisper as she leans towards her dad, "sexually assaulted. School physicals would have shown that and they didn't." Sharpay is livid, but this time the anger is not directed at her father, but her mother.

"But what about the pictures? She didn't actually take those herself, did she? That's sick", says Ryan.

"No, I don't think so. I've always believed that they were faked. She's got some amazing connections."

"Tell me about it", Sharpay comments, dryly.

"This is horrible. She robbed us of a father for twelve years. How could she do that? Why did she hate you so much?", Ryan asks.

"Yeah, why _did _she hate you?", Sharpay asks pointedly. Sharpay is thinking back to her mother's visit to her at the home in Colorado. Her mother told her about how her parents had met at a frat party and that she and Ryan were conceived that same night in a drunken evening of lust. They had only married because her future father-in-law was a minister more concerned about his reputation than about their happiness. Judith explained how much she loved their father and how he had just used her and even once told her that he never cared for her. The marriage ended after a little over five years when their father walked out on them. So, how much of that is true, Sharpay wonders.

"What do you mean, Sharpay?", Ryan asks with a wrinkled brow.

She proceeds to tell them exactly what Judith told her that day

"Oh God, she was more disturbed than I ever imagined", exclaimed Bill, "I should have fought harder to get you two back."

"So, you're saying that her story wasn't true."

"Absolutely not... well, parts of it are true. All believable lies need to be sprinkled with the truth. We did meet at a frat party --- fall rush, in fact. She crashed the party with some friends of hers from Julliard, but we never really minded pretty young freshmen crashing our parties. Anyway, she got blasted out of her skull and some frat brother of mine was trying to take advantage to her, but I put a stop to it and then, I escorted her back to her dorm at Julliard. But nothing else happened that night, believe me. I called her the next day, just to check up on her and Judith suggested that we meet for coffee, so she could thank me properly and actually remember meeting me since she was so drunk the night before. So we met and ... well, she can be quite the charmer when she wants to be. We started dating --- pretty seriously, you might say. I fell head over heals for her. Everything seemed to be going along terrificly, at least I thought so.

"Her dream was always to go to Julliard, but to be honest, she just couldn't cut it. I think her family's influence is what got her in the door, but it wasn't enough to keep her there. She was flunking out, but her self-esteem couldn't handle it; so she came up with a perfect way to save face. She got pregnant. We had been intimate from the start --- college, you understand, but she swore to me that she was on the pill. I think she really was, at first, anyway. When I found out she was pregnant, I was shocked, to say the least. It was the first semester of my senior year --- I was an accounting major, by the way. So I ... this sounds silly now, but I called my dad, your grandfather, to ask for his advise. He really is an ordained minister; that part of her story is also true. He, of course, suggested that we do the right thing and be married as soon as possible. I really did love her, so I proposed and my dad married us in a small ceremony at my childhood home in upper New York state. I finished school; found a job in Albuquerque, thanks to my new father-in-law's influence.

"Oh, your paternal grandfather passed away right before the two of you were born and his estate and all of his money was left to your mother, his only living relative. But, my parents are still alive and kicking and I think they'd love to see you again. You know, Sharpay, you're named after my mother, Sharpay Elizabeth Evans. It's about the only thing your mother let me choose concerning the two of you. Then, when you turned four, she explained to me her 'plan'. It sounded absurd to me to start pushing children at such a young age and I told her so. So...she came up with a 'plan' to dispose of me. And the rest ... as they say ... is history." Then, sitting back and taking a deep, cleansing breath Bill Evans says, "_There is a time to weep and a time to laugh._"

Sharpay and Ryan both snap their heads up at the same time.

Ryan speaks first, "_...a time to mourn ..._"

And Sharpay finishes the quote, "_... and a time to dance_."

Then, together they say, "Ecclesiastes, chapter three, verse four."

"Wow, you still remember that", their dad says in amazement.

"Yeah, I guess so, but what is it? I mean, I know it's from the Bible, but why do we remember it?", questions Ryan.

"It's one of my father's favorite scriptures. In fact, my mother has it on a sampler hanging in her living room. I taught it to you when the two of you could barely talk. Even back then, you were very quick at memorizing things --- something your mother picked up on immediately."

"My God, she's insane", Ryan comments.

"I can't believe this; our whole lives have been nothing, but lies", comments Sharpay.

"Yeah...but I'm hoping that today will be a new start for the three of us and you'll both give me a chance to make all this up to you. I'd like a more active role in your lives", Bill says as he throws an unreadable look to Ryan.

Ryan understands instantly and clears his throat before he speaks. "Um, Sharpay."

"Yeah?"

"Well, you know I've been in contact with Dad for a few weeks and now after meeting him, I've made my decision ... I want to live with Dad. I'm going back to Phoenix with him."

"Oh."

"I don't want to pressure you into anything, Sharpay; but, I'd love it if you would come too", Bill tells her in earnest.

"Well, what does your wife think about all this? About suddenly having two more children."

"Actually, Lois has always known about you. I told her everything about my life as soon as we became serious. She's very excited about meeting both of you and so are the twins ... um ... my younger twins, that is. Guess it runs in the family", he chuckles slightly.

"So what do you say, Shar? Will you go with us? Please?", Ryan begs her.

Looking directly at her father, Sharpay asks, "So, you're letting me have a choice?"

"Of course; we don't want to force you into anything, Pay Pay", her dad tells her.

Sharpay takes a deep breath as she comes to her decision ...

TBC

A/N: Oooo, I am so mean ... leaving it like that. Sorry, you'll just have to wait til next time.

Hope this chapter clears up lots of stuff about Sharpay's past.

And thank you all very much for hanging in there for this extraordinarily long story. I had no idea it would ever be this long and we're not finished yet. And thank you for a the wonderful reviews ... wow, over 300. that's amazing.

Please read and let me know what you think --- good or bad. Oh, and if it's bad, please explain why you don't like it so I'll know how to improve for the future.

Thanks,

j

Begin Date: Saturday, June 27, 2006.


	29. Ch 28: Decisions, Projects and Birthdays

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 28: Decisions, Projects and Birthdays**

Jack pulls his truck up to the curb outside the aquarium. He sees Sharpay standing with her father and brother. She gives them both a quick hug and hops in the truck.

She is very pensive as she waves goodbye to them through the window.

Jack clears his throat. "Um, everything okay, Sharpay?"

"It will be", Sharpay says mysteriously.

A few minutes go by and the interior of the truck is deathly silent.

"I can't take it anymore, Sharpay. You've got to tell me. Are you leaving us? Are you going to leave with your father?"

"Of course not, Coach Bolton. Why would you think I would do that? My life is here now. What you said before is exactly how I feel ... I _feel_ like a part of your family. And although, I will always love Ryan and I've rediscovered my love for Daddy, I think my place is here now...for as long as you'll have me."

Jack lets out a sigh of relief and immediately pulls out his cell phone. "I'm so relieved. I've got to call Lisa to let her know the good news."

After he gets off the phone, Jack says to Sharpay, "Hey, how would you like to help me with a little project?"

"Um sure, I guess. What kind of project?", Sharpay asks cautiously.

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Sharpay quietly walks up to the paint section at Home Depot and leans against the counter. Troy's back is to her and he's entering a complicated paint formula into the mixing computer.

"Hey there, hottie", she says in a sexy voice.

Troy and an older, balding man, who is working next to Troy, both turn towards her voice.

"Sharpay!", Troy exclaims as he rushes over to her. The bald man sighs in disappointment and turns back to his work. "How did your meeting go? What are you doing here and how did you get here, anyway?"

"So many questions...Okay, my meeting with Daddy was great...wonderful, even. And before you ask...no, I am not going back with him, but Ryan is. I'll tell you about it later. As to why I'm here...your dad and I are working on a project", she says with pride.

"A project?", Troy echoes with trepidation, "Does Mom know about this? Did she say it was okay?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Oh, Dad and projects do not mix well. In fact after the last time, Mom said he's not allowed to even touch a power tool without adult supervisor."

"You talk like he's a child. It can't be that bad."

"Well, let me put it this way --- the whole emergency room staff knows my dad personally. Oh, don't get me wrong; he does great work, but he's a danger to himself."

"Well, I have faith in him and I'm on a mission. I'm supposed to pick up varnish, paint brushes and sand paper. Then, I'm to meet him in the lumber section."

"Oh, no! A woodworking project. That's the most dangerous kind", Troy announces ominously.

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Five hours later, Troy pulls his Toyota Camry into the drive behind his mom's car. She is unloading groceries, so he offers to help her carry them into the house.

"Did you hear the good news about Sharpay?", Troy asks Lisa as they're are bringing in the final grocery bags.

"Yes, your dad called me as soon as he found out. I thought we could celebrate tonight; I decided to splurge, so I bought Porterhouse steaks for your dad to grill", Lisa tells him, "But wait, how did you find out? You gave your phone to Jack to give to Sharpay."

"Oh, Sharpay and Dad came by work today", he says cryptically.

"Oh...what was Jack Bolton doing in a Home Depot? He knows he's not allowed to go in there without supervision", Lisa tells Troy as they start to put away the food.

"That's what I told Sharpay. Apparently, they have some big project planned. I didn't actually see D..."

At that point, a frantic Sharpay comes flying into the kitchen.

"Oh my God! Where's the first aid kit?", she is nearly screaming and almost completely panicked. She starts frantically opening and closing drawers in the kitchen, trying to remember where she saw the kit.

Lisa calmly, but firmly, grabs Sharpay by the shoulders. "Sharpay, take a deep breath and calm down."

Sharpay squeezes her eyes shut and takes a deep breath, just as Mrs. Bolton ordered.

"Good", praises Lisa, "now, what happened? Where's Jack?"

Answering the last question, first, Sharpay says, "He's in the workshop, but I'm not sure what happened. There's a lot of blood."

Lisa turns to Troy and says, "Okay Troy, better get the large kit from the bathroom. I'll meet you in the workshop."

Lisa and Sharpay hurry out the door and toward the workshop which is located in the back of the Bolton's detached garage. They find Jack sitting on the floor clutching his left arm with his right hand and looking slightly pale.

"Oh my God, Jack. What have you done to yourself?", Lisa implores as runs over to him and kneels down to try to take a look at his wound.

"Oh, hi, Lis. It's really nothing --- just a little scratch", Jack says unconvincingly.

"Well, let me take a look, okay?"

Troy runs up with a large first aid kit and opens it and starts to quickly pull out the needed items. It's obvious that he's done this enough times to become very skilled at it. Sharpay is standing back a few yards wringing her hands together and looking on very nervously.

Lisa pulls Jack's right hand away from where it's holding his left arm to see the damage. There is a sizable gash in his arm.

"Well, it's not the worse I've seen, but it's still a decent laceration", Lisa comments to Jack and then to Troy, she directs, "Troy, hand me a large gauze strip. We'll bandage up what we can and then get him to the hospital."

They work quickly to secure the wound and have Jack ready to move in minutes.

"Care to tell me what happened, Hon?", Lisa questions him as they walk towards the truck.

"Well, it's really sort of embarrassing."

"Aren't they all, Jack?"

"No, this one really is. See we're finished. Completed the project in record time. Sharpay was a lot of help."

"Then, how did you hurt yourself?", Lisa asks confusedly.

"I...um...slipped when I was putting away the tools. Fell right smack on my hand saw."

"Honey, you know I love you dearly; but sometimes, you are a menace to yourself."

As they are about to get in Jack's truck, he looks around with concern. "Lisa, how's Sharpay doing? She looked scared stiff before. I think she thinks this is her fault."

"I'll have Troy stay here with her." Then, she calls Troy over to the truck, "Troy, talk to Sharpay; convince her that this is just a prerequisite for Bolton 101, okay? We'll call from the emergency room when we know something."

"Sure, Mom. Good luck, Dad."

"Thanks, son. Oh, and no peeking at our project. It's a secret." Looking back behind Troy to where Sharpay is standing alone, Jack calls out to her, "Don't worry, Sharpay. This is nothing compared to what I did to myself when I decided to sharpen the blades on my lawnmower, myself. And don't let Troy see our project. I want to be here for the unveiling."

"Sure thing, Coach Bolton", Sharpay answers him.

Troy walks over and wraps his arm around Sharpay. Mrs. Bolton backs the truck out, leaving Troy and Sharpay standing in the driveway together.

Sharpay's shoulders start to shake and Troy squeezes her tighter as he says, "Shhh, don't worry, Shar. He'll be fine."

Just then, she starts to giggle and that's when Troy realizes that she is laughing, not crying.

"Oh, I'm sorry", Sharpay gasps out between her snickers, "I shouldn't be laughing, but you were so right about him. There were at least three times before he got hurt that he would have hurt himself if I hadn't been there." Catching her breath, she continues in a normal voice, "But wait til you see what we made. It's absolutely beautiful. I've never built anything in my life, but this was so much fun. The only thing left is a final sanding and a coat of varnish, but I can't do that --- the fumes and the dust aren't good for me."

"Wow, my girlfriend, the master craftsman."

"Ha, ha. More like ... your girlfriend, the slave gopher ... you know, go-for this and go-for that."

They walk back into the kitchen and quickly realize that the groceries still need to be put away. They continue talking as they work.

"So tell me about your meeting with your dad", Troy prompts.

"It was great ... well, a little awkward at first, but in the end, everything was great and I found out some incredible stuff about my wacked mother...", Sharpay starts and proceeds to tell him all about her conversation with Bill Evans and how truly manipulative and evil her mother actually is.

About ten minutes later, they are cuddling on the sofa in the family room.

"I can't believe I actually forgot how special my dad was. How could I be so stupid?", moans Sharpay.

"Well, it's not your fault; it's almost like you were brainwashed, you know?", Troy comments.

"I guess ... anyway, Ryan is going back with Daddy tomorrow, but they said they would come back when the baby's born. I love my dad, but I can't leave you and your family. My place is here, now."

"For now and for always."

Troy lifts her face up to his and places a comforting kiss in her lips. They pull back and gaze into each other's eyes.

"I'm so glad I ate those snicker doodles", Sharpay murmurs as she moves back in for another more passionate kiss.

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Six hours later, when the Boltons finally get back from the hospital, it's nearly midnight. Troy and Sharpay are sitting innocently at the kitchen table having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This time Sharpay made sure nothing landed on the ceiling fan.

"Hi, Dad. How'd it go?", Troy asks with his mouth full of sandwich.

"Not too bad, son. I got George; he's my favorite intern. Oh, and this time they used staples", Jack brags.

"He's very luck is what he is. The big dope just missed a major tendon", Lisa adds as she puts her purse down on the counter.

"We'll have to compare scars when you get your bandage off", Sharpay suggests. She holds up her right arm to show the scars running from her wrist to her mid-forearm. The surgery and the pins have left their fair share of scar tissue on Sharpay's arm.

"Oh, you don't want to get in a competition with me on scars. I'd win hands down. If you want to see some beauties, I'll sh...", both Lisa and Troy interrupt him at the same time.

"No!"

"Please, Jack. She already thinks we're weird. Don't you start with the 'my scar is bigger than yours' contest", then in a patronizing manner, she continues, "We all know you'd win, dear. Your scars are magnificent."

"Ah shucks, honey. You always know how to say the right thing."

"Sorry about dinner", Lisa says when she notices the sandwiches, "We'll have to grill the steaks tomorrow night. So, what have you two been up to?"

At seeing the bright blush that spreads across Troy's face and how Sharpay suddenly finds something very interesting on her sandwich that she needs to watch intently, Lisa decides to immediately change the subject.

"Jack...how about a sandwich? PB&J, okay with you?"

"Sure, sounds fine. I'm not very hungry, anyway. Those pain meds have made me a little sleepy."

"Any one else want another one?", she asks the two teenagers.

Two "Me"'s are called out instantly. Sharpay gets up to help Mrs. Bolton.

"Sharpay", Lisa asks as the two women are standing at the counter making sandwiches, "Jack told me all your meeting with your father and Ryan. I guess you two talked while you were working on your project. I hope that's alright."

"Of course, it is. Like I told Coach Bolton, I'm really starting to feel I'm part of this family now and there shouldn't be any secrets."

"Good", Lisa agrees, "Well, now that we know for sure that you're staying here, we'll need to get you enrolled in school soon."

"Oh, I'd kind of forgotten all about that."

"Yes, since your mother withdrew you from school, we'll need to give them your transcripts from Colorado and change your custody information and address and such. Well, school doesn't start until August, so we have a little time yet."

"Thanks, Mrs. Bolton."

"Oh, don't thank me. You're going to be the one who has to put up with Jack all day. And believe me, a grumpy Jack is no fun to be around."

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Life continues as normal for the next week. Ryan and her dad call before they left town on Monday morning. They exchange email addresses and phone numbers and promise to keep in touch. Sharpay continues her tutoring job and is only mildly irritated by Coach Bolton hanging around and trying to help with the lessons. He keeps trying to come up with basketball analogies for Zeke to relate to math problems, but all it really does is turn into a small pick-up game between the three of them. The games are outrageously funny considering the players are one normal guy, a man with only one functional arm, and a pregnant teenager.

Jack's arm begins to gradually feel better and by Wednesday evening, he has finished the project. He and Sharpay plan on unveiling it after dinner.

"This is so exciting", comments Lisa, "Usually, I find out what he's made when I'm picking him up off the workshop floor."

"Yeah Dad, I hope you were able to clean off all the blood", comments Troy.

"Ha, ha. You two are sooo funny", Jack says, sarcastically.

The three Boltons and Sharpay are sitting in the living room and an unidentified object is located in the center of the room, covered by a blanket.

"Okay, Sharpay. Are you ready?", Jack asks.

Sharpay rises from her seat and struts to the middle of the room. Troy makes a drumming sound by rolling his tongue against the roof of his mouth and plays air-drums to make the moment more dramatic. Sharpay hams it up with her best "The Price Is Right" hostess imitation and fawns and caresses the blanket before dramatically reaching down and ripping the cover away in one sweeping motion.

Troy and Lisa are speechless. There, in the center of the room, is the most beautiful hand-crafted wooden cradle that they have ever seen. The cradle basket is suspended and held on each end to a strong solid frame. This allows the basket to swing. It also has a horizontal rod which sticks out above the basket.

"The rod is designed to hold a canopy", Jack informs them.

"Oh, this is wonderful, Jack. It's your best work ever. And I'll get right to work on a canopy. What do you think, Sharpay? Pale pink, sound good to you?", Lisa asks, excitedly.

"Oh, pink is my favorite color", agrees Sharpay.

"I'm planning on adding a carving to the frame. I can do the baby's name, initials...anything like that. Or if you'd like, I could make it more generic, say, _Bolton_ on the headboard. That way you can use it for the next baby", Jack suggests.

"Well, I don't really know, Coach...um, and besides, she'll have my name, Evans", Sharpay says awkwardly.

"Maybe Troy should do something about that. Don't you think so, Troy?", Jack says to Troy, pointedly.

"Dad, this really isn't the place to talk about this", Troy says seriously.

"Well, why not, Troy? It's obvious that you care for the girl. Hell, we're not blind, Troy. She's sleeping with you more than without."

"Jack, I think that's enough", Lisa warns.

Sharpay steps away from the cradle and says to no one in particular, "Excuse me."

She quickly leaves the room and heads down the hall towards the bedrooms.

After Sharpay leaves, Troy turns angrily to his dad. "Dad, why can't you just leave it alone, okay? We were doing really good."

"What is so wrong with what I said? You should do the right thing, son. That girl and your baby _deserve_ it."

"You just don't get it, Dad. I _did_ ask her to marry me... and she turned me down, okay? And I'm planning on asking again, but I was going to wait until I thought she would be more willing to accept me. But now she'll think I'm doing it because you made me. You've ruined everything!", Troy screams and then, he too, runs from the room in the same direction as Sharpay.

"What have I done?", Jack says in disbelief.

"Oh, Jack", Lisa says sympathetically.

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Troy knocks lightly on Sharpay's door and pushes it open slightly.

Sharpay is lying on the bed, curled up on her side, hugging a pillow, with her eyes closed. "Come on in", Sharpay sighs.

"How'd you know it was me?", Troy asks gently.

She sniffles quietly, "I didn't, but if it's one thing I've learned living with your family, you people love to talk things out. I knew someone would come after me." She sits up and scoots up towards the headboard and places her hugging pillow next to her pillow for Troy to use. She pats the bed next to her to indicate that he should sit down.

Troy sits stiffly next to her and offers an apology. "Sorry about what Dad said. He means well, but sometimes he just doesn't know when to stop talking."

"Yeah, I know, but still...", then turning suddenly to face Troy she asks what has been gnawing at her since she left the living room, "Troy, did your Dad tell you to ask me to marry you? Is that why you asked me...that first night?"

"Oh man, I knew this would happen. I told him so."

"You mean he _did _tell you to marry me?", Sharpay asks in disbelief.

"No, no. You've got to believe me. They didn't even know about it until tonight. I told Dad just a few minutes before I followed you out. It's just that I told him that's what you would think, but it's just not true. I swear", Troy pleads sincerely as he sits up on his knees and faces her. "Sharpay, you know I love you and you know I want to marry you and I'd ask you again right this very minute if I thought it would make any difference."

"It's those damn eyes again", Sharpay says in surrender. "You could tell me the sky is orange and I think I'd believe you." She gazes up at him lovingly. "I do believe you; I really do. And you may think it's really silly at this point, but I'm still not ready to make that kind of commitment right now. I don't want to get married because your dad or my grandfather ..."

"Your grandfather?"

"It's a long story...anyway I don't want to get married because all these outside influences thinks it's the right thing to do. I want it to happen because it's what we want to do. And I'm just not ready for that right now. Can you try and understand that?"

"I can try and I can keep loving you and showing you that I'm ready for that commitment and when you are, then I'll be right here by your side. But can I ask you to seriously think about something for me?"

"What is it?"

"Well, I'd really like for our first child to have my name. Can you, at least, consider making her last name, Bolton or at least, hyphenated, like Bolton-Evans or Evans-Bolton? Because I know that eventually, I'm going to wear you down and you're going to marry me. Then, when we have other children, our first daughter will have a different last name."

Sharpay gives him an unreadable expression and says, "Okay, I'll think about it. And I do love you, Troy Bolton." They both reach over to share a hug. Troy slides back down in the bed and they just hold onto each other in companionable silence.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Jack Bolton feels like he's walking on eggshells around Sharpay. She lets him hang for about two more days before she finally tells him that there are no hard feelings. She informs him that if her daughter were in a similar situation, she hopes that Troy would try to protect her like Coach has protected Sharpay. Jack hugs Sharpay in relief and tells her that he will leave the cradle blank for now, but when she decides what she wants just to let him know.

On Sunday morning Sharpay wakes up in a real funk. She hates waking up alone. Coach was definitely right about one thing: Sharpay is staying in Troy's room more often than not. Her own room is becoming nothing more than a large closet for her. In fact Mrs. Bolton has started dropping hints about wanting to start decorating the nursery, which would be Sharpay's old room. The implication being that Sharpay won't be needing it anymore. So when she woke up to an empty 'other' half of the bed, she starts out the day in a foul mood.

Sharpay is looking at her feet as she mopes into the kitchen. A sudden Troy sounding gasp has Sharpay jerking her head up quickly. He is standing at the counter with a nervous-looking Mrs. Bolton standing close by. Troy is holding a large bowl in one hand and an electric mixer in the other.

"Troy, for the hundredth time, you've got to keep the mixer down in the bowl. Otherwise, ", Lisa chastises her son as he raises the small appliance just a millimeter too high. "Aaaah! Now you've gone and splashed me. I swear, there's going to be more batter on you and me than in the cake."

Just then, Troy happens to look up to see Sharpay standing at the entrance to the kitchen with a perplexed look on her face.

"Sharpay!", Troy shouts, "What are you doing up so early?" Troy is still running the mixer and trying to talk over the noise. His shirt, face and hair are covered in flour and random splatterings of yellow cake batter.

"I just woke up. Couldn't sleep; I guess", Sharpay replies with a chip on her shoulder.

"Well, Troy, I guess the jigs up", Lisa announces dramatically, "You might as well tell her."

Troy turns off the mixer before he starts talking. "Umm, well, that is... I'm making you a cake", Troy finally says.

"A cake? Why?", Sharpay says in sincere confusion.

Lisa takes over. "Well, Sharpay, after we spoke about enrolling you in school, I was looking over your records and such and realized that today is your birthday. You should have said something, dear."

"My birthday?", Sharpay says quietly. _How could she forget her own birthday?_

"I forgot", she adds.

"Well, we didn't and so I decided to bake you a cake", Troy says proudly.

"A cake? You can cook?", Sharpay asks in surprise.

Lisa answers for him, "No, he can't. That's why we look like we're in the middle of a food fight, but he is trying awfully hard."

Sharpay walks fully into the kitchen. "That's so sweet", she says as she quickly forgets that she's supposed to be mad at Troy.

"And we have a little surprise for you in about two hours. Hopefully, the cake will be ready by then. So get yourself some breakfast and then, vamoose. You're not allowed to come back until we're ready for you", Lisa informs her as she tries to wipe up the splashed batter off the counter top and herself.

Two hours later, a flour, batter, and now, frosting encrusted Troy Bolton taps on Sharpay's door to tell her it's time. He makes her close her eyes and takes her hand in his and leads her into the kitchen.

"Okay, you can open your eyes, now", Troy announces. "Ta-da! My masterpiece!"

There, on the kitchen table, is a slightly lop-sided pink birthday cake with a large '1' and '7' candles in the middle of it.

"It's strawberry frosting", Troy informs her.

"Strawberry? That's my favorite; how did you know?"

Before anyone can answer, the telephone rings.

"Ah, right on time", Jack says as he checks his watch, "I think you'll get your answer in just a minute." Jack picks up the phone and after a few hushed words to the other person on the line, turns to Sharpay and asks, "Okay, Sharpay, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Sharpay is still staring at the cake and wondering if the top layer is starting to slide off or if it's just her imagination.

Jack hits the button on the telephone to switch it to speaker mode. "Ready for this! Here we go."

And they all start singing the Happy Birthday song and she can hear voices from the other end of the line joining in. Sharpay immediately recognizes her father's voice since it sounds just like a deeper version of Ryan's. She doesn't know who the other voices are, but assumes they are his family. Then, when the song gets to the part where you say the name of the birthday person, everyone says, "Happy Birthday, Ryan and Sharpaaay, Happy Birthday to you!"

"Hi Sharpay, is that you?", Ryan's voice asks through the speaker.

"Ryan? Yeah, it's me. Um,...Happy birthday, brother", Sharpay's voice is already starting to choke up with emotion.

"Did you know anything about this?"

"No, it was a real surprise to me."

"Me, too."

Lisa sensing that the twins may want some privacy, hands Sharpay the phone and switches it back to normal mode. Then, she motions to Troy and Jack and they step out of the room.

"I'm off the speaker now. How have you been?", Sharpay says.

"Yeah, me too", Ryan says, referring to the speaker, "I've been great, and you?"

"Good, good...this is silly. It shouldn't be awkward to talk to you, Ryan."

"I know...you're right. Hey, you won't believe this, but with all the excitement and moving and all...I actually forgot that today was my birthday. Jennifer, that's dad's wife, she's a pastry chef; anyway, she made me this fantastic looking cake."

"I know exactly how you feel because I forgot, too. Oh, and I got a cake too, but not from a pastry chef. It's got strawberry frosting, though. Hey, did you tell them about how that was my favorite?"

"Oh, I guess I did. We were just talking one day. I didn't realize at the time that I was being interrogated cuz I got my favorite too --- triple Dutch chocolate. People are really nice here, Shar. Dad is great and so is Jenn. And the twins think I'm some sort of God or something. They follow me around like groupies. I miss you a lot, but I really feel like I'm part of a family now."

"I'm glad Ryan. I miss you, too. And I know just how you feel because I feel the same way about the Boltons."

"Well, I think the twins want to start eating my cake without me, so I'd better go", Ryan says reluctantly.

"Hey, I'll call you in a couple of days, okay?"

"Okay, I look forward to it. Bye, Shar. Take care and I love you."

"Bye bye, Ryan. I love you, too and happy birthday", Sharpay finishes as she hangs up the telephone.

Sharpay steps outside and finds the Boltons sitting on the deck.

"That was a really nice thing you did for us. This is the first birthday we've ever not been together."

"Actually, it was your father's idea. He called us two days ago, right after I discovered that your birthday was July second. He also told us about the strawberry frosting", Lisa tells her.

"Well, I really appreciate it. Hey, I think you should all come back inside because we have some cake to eat. And I don't think I can eat it all by myself."

Lisa lights the candles on the cake and they all sit around the kitchen table and sing the birthday song again.

At the end of the song, Troy reminds her, "Now close your eyes, make a wish and blow out the candles."

"But I already have everything I could possibly wish for, right now", Sharpay says sincerely as she looks lovingly at Troy.

Lisa says, "Awwww."

Jack just rolls his eyes.

Troy blushes and dips his head.

"Well, will someone please blow out the candles, so we can eat this thing?", Jack suggests.

Sharpay does close her eyes, makes a wish and blows out the candles. Lisa cuts the cake and passes around pieces to everyone, starting with Sharpay.

Everyone is very quiet as they chew their cake...and chew...and chew.

Sharpay swallows hard and says, "This is delicious. It's the best cake I've ever had."

"Oh God, Troy. It's got to be true love for her say something like that", Jack says as he puts his fork down.

"No, I really do like it", Sharpay insists.

"Well, maybe it is a little dry", Troy admits.

"I've got some Key Lime pie in the frig. Anyone interested?", Lisa offers as she rises to collect the cake plates.

Troy and Jack immediately say yes. Sharpay just looks at them in shock. And when Lisa tries to take away her plate, she grabs it back.

"I wasn't just trying to be nice. I _really_ like it", Sharpay insists as she finishes her piece of birthday cake.

After everyone has finished their chosen desserts, Lisa makes an announcement.

"We have a couple of things for you. It's not much, but..."

"Oh, you didn't have to...", Sharpay starts.

"Nonsense, it's your birthday."

Lisa hands her a small package. "Open this one first, Sharpay."

Sharpay takes the small package and unwraps it. She reveals a cell phone.

"Oh, a phone!", Sharpay exclaims.

"Sorry, it's not a Sidekick and something more snazzy, but...", Jack says awkwardly.

"Oh, no. This is wonderful."

"We added you to our plan, just like Troy. In fact, you two have the same phone. Just please don't blow the text messaging budget, okay?", Lisa adds.

"Of course not." Sharpay's heart swells to bursting. This one simple act demonstrates to Sharpay that she has truly been accepted into the family.

"This next one is sort of silly, but I just remembered that the year I was pregnant with Troy every present I received for any occasion: birthday, Christmas, anything, was actually for the baby. So I wanted to get something, just for you. Now enough of my talking, go on, open it", Mrs. Bolton says as she hands Sharpay is medium sized rectangular box.

Sharpay opens it to find a small short Lycra t-shirt imprinted with a pink rose and a white mini-skirt. There's even a pink silk hat. It looks just like something Sharpay would pick for herself. She is so excited that she actually squeaks in delight.

"I realized that all your clothes are maternity clothes. This is just a little something to get you started."

"Oh, it's perfect, Mrs. Bolton. Thank you so much for everything."

"It's our pleasure, dear."

"I'll be right back with my present", Troy announces as he quickly walks through the kitchen and out the back door.

Sharpay looks to Jack and Lisa for an explanation.

"He's been very secretive about it. Wouldn't tell us a thing", Jack supplies.

Troy returns quickly, carrying a large cardboard box with holes in it. Sharpay is still sitting at the table and Troy places the box down on the table in front of her.

"Go ahead, open it", Troy says.

Sharpay pulls back the flaps on the box and peers inside. Laying curled up in the bottom of the box is an orange tabby kitten, sound asleep.

"Oh my, a kitten", Sharpay whispers in awe. And then, to Troy, she asks, "How did you know? I've always wanted a kitten, but my mother was allergic to them."

Just then, the kitten wakes up and looks up at Sharpay with curious eyes as it opens its mouth with a huge yawn. Sharpay reaches down and lifts the kitten out. She cradles it in her arms and the kitten cuddles into her.

"Oh, it's a girl, by the way", Troy supplies.

"Ummm, Troy you do know about the precautions with pregnant women and cats, right?", Lisa asks.

"What? Is it dangerous for her?", Troy asks in concern.

"Oh, how can this little cutie be dangerous?", Sharpay asks.

"Well, it's not actually that little cutie who's dangerous, but that little cutie's waste products", Lisa explains.

"What's that supposed to mean?", Troy asks.

"It means that if she keeps that kitten, you'll be the one who'll have to clean the litter box, Troy."

"Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten all about the, 'Oh no, honey, I'm not allowed to clean the litter, anymore. It could be dangerous for the baby. I could get toxoplasmosis'", Jack laments.

"Well, it's true and how did you remember what that disease is called? I'd even forgotten."

"I remember because I got stuck with that job for the rest of that cat's life and she didn't die until Troy was ten years old."

"Oh, what are you complaining about, Jack? That was your cat in the first place. You had her when we met."

"No, I didn't. That was your cat", he insists.

"No, remember I had the little cocker spaniel; you had that big gray cat. I just used to feed her and change her litter box all the time."

"Oh yeah, well..."

"Hold on a sec", Troy interrupts his parent's rantings, "so if I clean out the litter box, it's safe for her to keep the kitten?"

"Yes", Lisa confirms.

"Oh good, you had me worried for the minute."

Sharpay hasn't been participating in the conversation because she's been too busy playing with the kitten. There was a string of yarn in the box and Sharpay has been teasing the kitten with it.

"So...you like her?", Troy asks, already knowing her answer.

"Oh yes, she's wonderful", Sharpay confirms.

"I remembered that you said you couldn't have any pets growing up because of your mom's allergies..."

Sharpay looks up at him thoughtfully. _Wow, he actually listens to me when I talk._

"...So have you thought of a name yet?"

"I was thinking of Ginger", Sharpay says and then, holding the kitten up, she asks her, "What do _you _think? Do you like Ginger?"

The kitten purrs in response.

"I think she likes it", Troy comments as he sits down next to Sharpay and holds up a string for Ginger.

Lisa stands up and starts to clear off the table. "I'm going to be heading to the grocery store soon. I'll need to pick up some things for the cookout on the fourth. I'm supposed to make the salads --- potato, macaroni, pasta."

"Oh, good. I'll go with you. I need some more charcoal for the grill", Jack tell her.

"Oh no, you promised you wouldn't take your grill this year. There's nothing wrong with Bill's gas grill, Jack."

"Gas...", Jack says in disgust, "it's just not right. Charcoal tastes so much better. Just ask anyone; they all like my burgers better than his."

"No they don't, Jack. They just tell you that to get you to shut up."

"She's right, Dad", Troy adds.

"What are they talking about?", Sharpay whispers to Troy.

"Oh, every year on the 4th of July, we go to a cookout at Chad's house. His parents and mine are good friends. We've been going for years. They have a pool."

"I remember; I've already been there for one party", Sharpay states soberly.

"Oh, yeah. Well, it'll be fun, you'll see. There'll probably just be our family, Chad's and probably, Taylor's, since they're dating. We play in their pool all day. Pig out on burgers and stuff. Then, at night, we shoot off fireworks. It's a blast."

"Troy...I don't exactly have a poolside body right now. I don't think I'd comfortable around all those people."

"I don't know what you're so worried about. You look beautiful. We'll have a great time, trust me", Troy says sincerely.

TBC

Begin Date: Saturday, June 24, 2006, End Date: July 2, 2006

A/N: I hope the big cliffhanger wasn't too much of a let-down as there was no big confrontation. But of course, she's staying with the Boltons. Somebody who reviewed thought it would be a nice if she did go to AZ with her dad and then come back when she realized that she can't live without Troy or another one had Troy going with her. I really liked both these ideas, but this story is already taking forever, so I took the easy way out.

Here I thought I was so cool by planning on having Sharpay's birthday on July 2nd, since that's Ashley Tisdale's real birthday. Then on July 2nd, I see all these fics about her birthday,... oh, well. I thought I would have gotten to it way before her actual birthday, but I'm just too slow.

Next chapter: 4th of July at the Danforth's. Oh boy!


	30. Ch 29: Just a Typical Summer Party

**Unlove You **

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Chapter 29: Just a Typical Summer Party

Jack is driving his truck down the road while listening to a pop radio station, a little too loudly. Lisa is sitting in the passenger seat and Troy and Sharpay are squished into the backseat of the extended cab pickup truck.

"Tell me again, why we couldn't have come separately in your car?", Sharpay whispers to Troy.

"Because Mr. Danforth is the Margarita Man, the King of Margaritaville, the Prince of the Alcoholic Slushy, the Margarator, the ..."

"I get it ... I get it."

"Well trust me, by the time we're ready to come home, those two will barely be able to walk, let alone drive. Before I got my license, Mom was always the designated driver, but now she gets to party too."

"Oh, that doesn't really sound like them", Sharpay comments.

"Well, they can cut loose when they want to."

Jack pulls into the Danforth's driveway and announces, "Okay gang, we're here. Troy, I need you to help me with the grill before you go running off."

"Sure, Dad", Troy answers as he hops out of the truck and then turns around to help Sharpay out.

Troy is wearing dark swim trunks and a white wife beater under a button-up Hawaiian print shirt which he is wearing open. Sharpay is wearing a strapless white sundress with smocking around the bodice and white low-slung sandals. She is also wearing a wide white floppy hat which is so essential with New Mexico's intense sun.

"I wish you'd worn your bathing suit, Shar", Troy says in a low voice so only she can hear.

"I don't own one, Troy."

Troy just smiles mysteriously, "You're going to have fun, just wait and see."

"Let's go Troy. I can't lift this thing down by myself", Jack calls from the tailgate of the truck.

"I'll see you in a minute", Troy says and he pecks her lovingly on the cheek.

"Okay", Sharpay says as she turns to see what Mrs. Bolton needs her to do.

_Barely controlled chaos_. That's what Sharpay thinks as she follows Mrs. Bolton into the spacious kitchen of the Danforth's house. _Troy's family, Taylor's family, yeah right_, Sharpay thinks sarcastically.

The kitchen is filled to capacity with women...women cleaning...women cooking...women talking...lots of women talking. There must be at least seven or more women in the room. Even Lisa Bolton seems taken aback.

"Trish must have bused people in, this year. It's not normally this crowded", Mrs. Bolton comments to Sharpay as they place their bowls of salad on the counter top.

Just then, a tall, overweight, caramel skinned woman sees them from across the room and bustles over to them. She has an immediately recognizable head of tightly curled hair, obviously a family trait. The woman is wearing an ankle-length caftan with bright flowers plastered all over it and despite her large size seems to float across the room toward Lisa and Sharpay.

"Lisa, I'm so glad you made it. I was starting to get nervous", she exclaims as she embraces Lisa in a friendly hug.

"Hi, Trish. We had a little hold-up about Jack's grill. I was the hold-up. I didn't think he should bring it, but he eventually wore me down."

"Well, it's a good thing he did because Bill's aunts are visiting and they eat like you wouldn't believe. We can use all the grills we can get. There's five of them in the family and then, Bill's father, the only boy. Anyway, they get together every year for a big vacation and this year they're headed to the Grand Canyon, so they're stopping off here on their way", Trish Danforth explains.

"I wish I had known you were having company. I would have made more salad."

"No problem. They're all wonderful cooks and have been up since the crack of dawn just cooking away." Trish finally seems to notice Sharpay standing off to the side, trying to stay out of the way.

"Hello, you must be Sharpay. Ryan's told us all about you. He's such a nice young man; we're really going to miss him. I've never met anyone who loved Broadway musicals as much as I do."

"Oh, how rude of me. Sharpay, this is Chad's mother, Patricia Danforth. Trish, this is Sharpay Evans", Lisa says as she concludes the unnecessary formal introductions.

"Hi Sharpay, welcome to our home", Trish says as she extends her hand to Sharpay.

"Hello, Mrs. Danforth. It's nice to meet you", Sharpay says as she shakes her hostess' hand.

"Please, you can call me most anything, but don't call me Mrs. Danforth. You can call me Patricia or Tricia or Trish. Pretty much anything, but Pat. I hate that name."

Just then, Troy and Jack come into the kitchen and walk up to join Lisa and Sharpay.

"Hiya, Pat. How ya doin'?", asks Jack of Trish Danforth.

"I'm just fine, _Johnny_. How are you?", Trish growls at Jack.

Jack glares back at her.

"Alright, you two, knock it off", Lisa says as she steps in between them.

Trish and Jack both get guilty looks on their faces, like little children caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They both reluctantly agree to end the feud.

Lisa turns to Sharpay to explain. "It's a silly little game they play with each other. Very juvenile and I'm not sure how it started, but it's going to end today, right?"

"Yeah", says Jack.

"Sure, whatever", says Trish.

"Um, I just came in to get a lighter for the grill", explains Jack, "It's not time to start it yet, but I'm just getting ready."

"Here you go, Jack", Trish says congenially, as she hands him a lighter out of a nearby drawer.

"Hey Sharpay,...Chad and some of the gang are all out by the pool. Let's go on out", suggests Troy.

"Sure, sounds like fun", Sharpay says, sounding like she really thinks it will be anything but.

However before they can leave, Chad and Taylor come bounding in through the sliding doors which lead in from the backyard pool.

"Troy, what's taking so long, man?", Chad asks.

Before Troy can reply, Chad turns to Sharpay and exclaims, quite loudly, "Wow, Sharpay! Take a look at you!"

The entire room is suddenly deathly silent. All of his aunts stop what they're doing and simultaneously turn to stare...not at Sharpay, but at their idiot grand-nephew, Chad.

Sharpay automatically brings her right hand up to her stomach in a defensive gesture. Chad's eyes are glued on her tummy; making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"Um...yeah...I'm getting pretty big...I guess", Sharpay whispers awkwardly.

Taylor, who is standing next to Chad, reaches over and hits him in the arm as hard as she can.

"You jerk, don't you know when to keep quiet?", she hisses at him.

"Ow! What'd you hit me for? It's just really impressive, you know."

"Chad!", his mother, joins in his condemnation.

"What is everybody so uptight about? That's the most wicked scar I've ever seen!"

"Scar, what scar?", asks Taylor.

Sharpay is the first one to understand and appreciate Chad's odd view of the world and she breaks into laughter. "This scar", she explains, through her laughter, as she holds up her right hand for all to see, "it was hiding on top of my enormously large belly."

"Yeah, what'd you all think I was talking about?", Chad asks obvious to all the consternation he is causing.

"I think I like that girl", comments one of Chad's great-aunts. The rest nod in agreement and are equally relieved that they will not have to wring their favorite grand-nephew's neck.

"Hey, let's go outside everyone", Chad suggests to the other teenagers, "Zeke's already in the pool. He stayed over last night for a sleep-over."

"Sure, we were just about to go out", Troy says as he puts his hand around Sharpay's waist and starts to guide her toward the door.

"Oh Taylor, hun, would you mind helping me with the relish tray?", a woman who is about the same age as Lisa Bolton and Trish Danforth asks of Taylor.

"Sure Mom", Taylor says to her mother and then, to her friends she says, "Hey guys, I'll catch up with you later."

"Sure, Tay", Chad calls back as the other three leave the kitchen through the sliding glass doors which take them directly to the large in-ground pool.

Zeke, who is swimming in the pool, sees them approach so he hops out and grabs a towel to dry off. He walks directly up to Sharpay and greets her in such a manner as to show that they are both very comfortable around each other.

"Hi, Sharpay", he says with a lop-sided smile, "I just want to let you know that I've finished all my math homework and I'll definitely be ready for our lessons on Thursday."

Since the holiday fell on a Tuesday, they did not have a class today.

"I'm not worried Zeke. You're making great progress", she replies. Then, she casts Troy a knowing look and he returns it. "Um...guys...since it's just the four of us, we were wondering if we could sit down for a minute and talk."

"Yeah sure, Sharpay. Whatever you say", Chad says, answering for the both of them.

Sharpay leads them to a round wrought-iron table on the far side of the pool where they won't be overheard. She sits down and Troy sits next to her and reaches over to give her hand a comforting squeeze. Chad and Zeke take the other two seats. They say nothing as they wait, stiffly, for Troy or Sharpay to start whatever discussion they have in mind.

"First of all, we'd like you both to know that we have no hard feeling towards the two of you", Sharpay explains.

The two boys let out the breaths they were holding and visibly relax back into their seats.

"Oh, that's a relief", Chad comments, "for a minute I thought you were going to hit us up for child support or something since we kinda started this whole thing."

All three of the others turn to look at Chad in amazement.

"Is that all this is about?", Zeke asks hopefully.

"No, not quite all", Troy takes over. "We need to know...well...you two haven't told anyone about that night, have you?"

"Hell no, do I look stupid or something?", Chad exclaims.

Sharpay has to bite her tongue to keep from commenting on that statement. Sometimes they are just too easy.

"Well, actually, my brother and his roommate know, but they never knew who you were and they're both off in Europe right now trying to find themselves. It could be years before they're back, so I wouldn't worry about them."

Suddenly, Chad, Troy and Sharpay simultaneously realize that Zeke hasn't said anything since Troy asked the question. They all turn towards him. Zeke doesn't notice their scrutiny; he is too busy pretending to be fascinated by his own pool-water wrinkled fingers.

"Zeke? Talk to us, man", Troy insists, "You told someone, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did", he admits with resignation in his voice, "but I don't think there's anything to worry about. He won't tell; I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure?", Sharpay questions tersely.

"Well, he, like, took a vow, you know?" The others are looking at Zeke in confusion. "It's my priest, guys. I went to confession about two weeks after it happened. I just couldn't live with the guilt", Zeke admits in shame.

"Ah, Zeke. You are the sweetest guy, even when you do something incredibly evil. You know that?", Sharpay tells him as she reaches over to touch his hand.

"So, to get back on track, why did you want to know if we told anyone?", Chad asks.

"Well...it's just...", Sharpay tries to start, but flounders instantly.

Troy takes over. "Okay guys, it's like this...we're going to have a daughter...together. And even though this is sooner than any of us wanted to be starting a family, we think it's important that our daughter never finds out about how she came to be."

"Well, gosh it all to heck, Troy", Chad says in fake hillbilly accent, "Once she takes life education in school, she's going to figure out where she came from."

"That's not it, you jackass. We don't want her to think that she exists only because we were too drugged up to stop ourselves, alright?", Sharpay ends in a rasp as her throat starts to tighten slightly. "That would be a terrible burden for her to live with."

Troy gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"We already love our daughter very much and we want to protect her from as much as we can."

"Oh, we understand completely. Right, Chad?", Zeke says in a mature voice.

"Of course. Sorry Sharpay,... Troy", Chad says embarrassingly.

In an effort to break the awkwardness of the situation, Zeke goes for a change of topic.

"Hey Sharpay, how's the little sprite today?", he asks, slipping into the usual light banter between the two. Since Sharpay started tutoring Zeke, they have never been closer friends.

Sharpay instantly brightens up and smiles at Zeke. "Kicking up a storm. Want to feel?", she offers.

"You betcha", Zeke exclaims as he hops up and jogs around to where Sharpay is sitting. He drops down to one knee and lets her direct his hand to the best spot in order to feel the baby.

"Oh, wow. She_ is_ active today, isn't she?"

"This is just weird, man", Chad says with a sneer.

"Oh no, dude. It's amazing and besides, I've been doing this for quite awhile. I was the one who got the first feel."

"I ain't touchin' that", Chad scoffs, "And I mean that _both_ ways."

"Oh you really should try it, Chad. Believe me, it's incredible."

"No way; that is just nasty", Chad states as scoots his chair back away from the table in an effort to distance himself even further from Sharpay and Zeke.

"I think you're afraid", Troy says coolly. Inside, he's very proud of how he's handling seeing his girlfriend with another guys hand on her in such an intimate manner.

"No, I'm not." Chad stands up and starts to walk back towards the house.

"Oh, I think you are", Sharpay says as she decides to get in on the act.

Chad turns around suddenly and shouts, "I am not!", and then, stomps his foot for good measure.

"Prove it", Troy puts in.

"Okay! If it'll make you happy..."

Sharpay and the other two stand up and face Chad. He reaches out and quickly pokes Sharpay in her tummy with his index finger and pulls it back as if it's on fire.

"Oww!", Sharpay exclaims, "You jerk, that hurt!"

"I'm really sorry", Chad says sincerely, "It's just a lot different than I thought it would be. You're hard as a rock."

Troy immediately steps closer to Sharpay. He wraps his arm around her and whispers, "Are you okay?"

She nods yes and he turns to Chad and says angrily, "Well, it's not like it's a bunch of blubber, you moron; it's a baby. And besides, you didn't do it right; you have to put your hand flat, like this." He lovingly places his palm flat on her stomach and is instantly rewarded with a strong kick against his hand. "Hey, she really is active today", he whispers to her softly.

Chad looks on curiously and slowly approaches her again. He slowly holds out his hand and asks, "Can I try it again?"

"Okay, just be careful", Sharpay answers as she guides his hand to the right position.

He waits a few seconds and then feels a slight thump against his hand. "Oh my God, that's...that's amazing. Does it hurt?", Chad asks as his eyes light up.

"No, not at all. Sometimes, it keeps me awake at night and when some body part pokes me in the wrong place, it makes me need to pee, but..."

With his hand still on her tummy, Chad looks up at her incredulously. "Okay, now that's some serious TMI, Sharpay."

"Sorry."

"This has got to be a weirdest thing I have _ever_ seen", Taylor states as she joins them from the house.

"Oh, but you should give it a try, Taylor, it's amazing!", Chad exclaims as he still has not moved his hand from Sharpay's stomach. The kicking stops suddenly and Chad drops to his knees and places his head against her belly to help him find the baby again. With his ear pressed to her abdomen, he wraps his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him. Then, he starts to move his other hand around trying to find the sensation again. Sharpay's eyes pop open in surprise as Chad is practically massaging her tummy; she looks down at him, but is too shocked to say anything.

"Maybe I'll try it later. I think Sharpay may be getting tired of being groped", Taylor comments wisely.

Troy takes a look at what Chad's doing and sure enough, it does look like he's copping a feel.

"Um, Chad...I think that's enough", Troy says slowly.

"But I think she's around here somewhere...", Chad says vaguely, without looking up.

He is continuing his apparent massaging of Sharpay's stomach when Troy reaches out and forcibly pulls him away from her. Chad lands with a thump on his rear. He looks up, embarrassed, as he realizes what he was doing and more importantly, what it looks like he was doing.

"Sorry, Sharpay", Chad mumbles as he quickly picks himself up off the ground, "I just got carried away."

"It's okay, Chad. I understand; it's pretty overwhelming."

Now it's Taylor turn to break the awkward moment.

"Hey guys, I think I hear the pool calling to us", she cups her hand to her ear in an exaggerated gesture. "Yep, it's saying, _come swim in meeeee, come swim in meeeee_", she croons in a hypnotic tone.

"Really?", Chad questions her jokingly, "sometimes my food talks to me, but that's usually after I've eaten it and it's talking from the inside."

"Okay Chad, now you're doin' the TMI thang", Sharpay says with a smile.

"Oh for cryin' out loud, people. Let's swim!", Zeke shouts as he launches himself into an impressive cannon-ball which ends in a huge splash.

Taylor and Chad quickly follow him into the water. Sharpay lets out a sigh and sits down quietly. Troy pulls over a chair to join her.

"You don't have to sit here with me, Troy", Sharpay tells him, "Go on, join them."

"Why don't we both join them?", he suggests.

"_Remember? _No bathing suit."

"Nope", he says as he hands her a tote bag that she hadn't even noticed he was carrying.

She glances inside and sees what looks like a black bathing suit. "You bought me a bathing suit?", she asks incredulously.

"Of course not; Mom bought it. She said my secret mission for today was to talk you into wearing it. She thought you might feel self-conscious about it."

"Ya think?", Sharpay says sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, Shar. Give it a try. Mom says you'll love the feel of floating in the water. Go on, go put it on...please", he urges.

"Okay, but if I look ridiculous, I'm not coming out." She takes the tote bag and marches off towards the house.

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After things are set in the kitchen and with assurances from the aunts that they will take care of everything else, Trish, Lisa and Jack, and Kathy McKessie, Taylor's mom, all head out of the house and towards the grill area. The Danforths have an outside cooking area that would rival most people's main kitchen. They have a large stainless steel gas grill and an black granite counter top, complete with a sink with hot and cold running water. Standing at the counter in front of two commercial sized blenders, are two African-American men chatting about their favorite baseball teams.

"Bill, my man, where are you hiding those cups of liquid gold?", Jack asks the taller of the two men. He has a large, bushy mustache and clean-shaved head, making him quite unique in his own family. Jack spots a row of red plastic Solo cups on the counter already filled with margarita drink. The other two men are already holding their own cups, so Jack helps himself to one.

"Just help yourself, Jacko", he says when he notices that Jack has already procured his own drink.

Jack lifts the cup to his mouth to take a sip just as Lisa warns, "Now, be careful, Jack. You remember what happened last time."

"What?", Jack asks as his brow knits tightly, "I don't remember anything?"

"Exactly my point", Lisa states as she reaches over and takes the cup away from Jack and takes a sip of the drink herself before walking off towards one of the poolside tables.

Trish and Kathy, each pick up a full cup off the counter and follow after Lisa.

"Don't worry about it, Jack." Bill gives him a knowing wink and pours him another cup of the slushy drink from a different pitcher. "Those drinks were from my weak batch. This is for the real men. I call it my high-test blend."

Bill Danforth is holding the cup in one hand and the pitcher in the other. Before he can hand the cup over to Jack, one of the aunts walks up.

"Oh, Little Bill, there's what I'm looking for", she croons sweetly to him. The elderly lady takes both the cup and pitcher from Bill's hands. "I do hope this is the good stuff and not that weak mess you tried passing off on us, like last time."

"Oh no, ma'am, Aunt Eula Mae, this is the good stuff. I made it especially for you ladies", he replies, laying it on rather thickly.

"Good boy, Little Bill. Now I remember why you're our favorite nephew", she starts to head back into the house and then, stops and turns back, "Oh, and you'd better get started on another pitcher. This won't last us very long."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once Aunt Eula Mae has left, Jack turns to Bill.

"Biiilll?", he moans.

"I'm workin' on it."

"I feel your pain, man", comments Dan McKessie as he lifts his cup in salute. He managed to get a cup of the high-test before the aunt showed up.

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After waiting nearly twenty minutes, Troy starts off in search of Sharpay. The Danforth's house is huge and he doesn't know where she went to change, but he finally finds her in the small powder room situated right off the kitchen.

"Come on, Sharpay", Troy whispers through the locked door. Chad's great-aunts are eying him curiously. "It can't be that bad. Please let me in."

Sharpay is looking at herself in the full-length mirror attached to the back of the door. She's been standing there for over ten minutes.

"I can't believe your mother bought this. Are you sure you didn't pick it out?", she says to the door.

She takes a deep breath and says, "I'll let you in, but you have to promise to not laugh."

"I promise." His hand is already on the door knob; so when she unlocks the door, Troy quickly opens it and slips inside.

Sharpay reaches over and immediately re-lock the door. Troy eye's are bulging out of his head. _My mom picked that? Way ta go, Mom! _

Sharpay is blushing under his scrutiny. She is wearing the silky black maternity bathing suit, but there is nothing maternal about it. The top is similar to a baby-doll smock and it barely covers her tummy. It's a halter top with a single thin strap wrapping around her neck. The front of the top plunges down to a V which is level with the bottom of her breasts and she is almost spilling out of it.

"I can't go out there like this", she laments.

"I think you look beautiful and besides what are you worried about? Your waist is still smaller than most of Chad's aunts, you know?"

Sharpay huffs unintelligently at Troy and stalks over to the toilet and plops down on the closed lid.

The trip across the room affords Troy with an excellent view of the back of the suit. He swallows hard. The smock top is tied with a knot, just below her shoulder blades, leaving the rest of her back completely exposed. This also shows off, rather pointedly, that the bottom of the suit is nothing more than a string bikini which ties on either side and it's riding very low.

Suddenly, Troy has another idea. He slowly approaches and sinks down onto his knees directly in front of her. He reaches out and gently takes her chin in his hand and lifts it up. He bends forward until his mouth is almost touching her neck.

"Maybe, we don't have to be in such a hurry to go back out there, after all", Troy whispers into her neck, an action which sends shivers down her spine.

He trails his finger tip ever so slowly down the neckline of the suit which ends in the valley between her breasts. Sharpay inhales deeply as her body starts to react to his ministrations.

Troy glances down at her chest and comments, seductively, "Oh my, it must be getting a little cold in here."

Before she can comment, his lips attack hers in a fierce and passionate kiss. His hand, which was resting at the V of her suit, now continues down. It reaches the bottom of the blousing top and inches its way underneath searching for those elusive strings. Just as he finds one and starts to pull, Sharpay suddenly comes to her senses and pushes Troy back away her and jumps up herself to get as far away from him as possible in the small room.

Troy is sprawled out on the floor after being completely knocked off balance by Sharpay's unprovoked attack.

"What's that for?", Troy questions through his labored breath.

Sharpay has just finished re-tying the string that he had managed to pull loose. "This is not the time or place for this, Troy. We're at your best friend's parent's house and there are at least five, very large, very intimidating elderly women on the other side of that door who you do not want to make mad."

Troy runs his hand through his hair, pulling it up out of his eyes as he stares up at her in confusion.

"Yeah, you're right", he finally admits as he lets his bangs fall back down. "So what do we do now?"

"We go swimming", she states simply. Sharpay reaches down into the tote and pulls out a loosely knitted white shawl. She swings it onto her shoulders and lets it elegantly drape down. It looks incredibly stylish and covers her up as well. "It appears that your mother thought of everything."

Sharpay walks over to the door and flings it open and then looks back over her shoulder as she walks out into the small hallway. "Well, aren't you coming?"

He hurries to catch up with her. "I'm so confused", he mumbles to himself.

Ten minutes later, Sharpay is hugging a large yellow inflatable duck and floating idly in the pool.

"I'm in heaven", she moans blissfully.

"Be careful", Troy warns as he treads water near her, "If you fall asleep, you're going to drown."

"Well, it's not like I can do like Taylor, there", she complains as she glances over at Taylor. Taylor is floating on her back on a large inflatable. "I'd look like a beached whale."

"Well, how about one of Mr. Danforth's margaritas?", he offers as compensation. "I'll go get you one. They're killers."

Sharpay is looking at him like he's lost his mind. "Killers...exactly. I can't _drink._"

"What?...Oh, no. He makes special non-alcoholic ones for us kids. They're really good."

"Well, alright...and thank you, Troy. You're so sweet to me", she says sincerely and she reaches up to peck him on the cheek.

"I'll be right back."

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The three adult women are sitting at their table, watching the kids in the pool. After watching Troy and Sharpay arrive at the pool and go in for a swim, Kathy McKessie comments, "He's so attentive to her."

"Well, she is carrying his baby", Trish adds.

"I don't care; Dan was never like that with me when I was carrying Taylor."

"I loves her so much", Lisa says, "I just hope it's enough."

"I think you and Jack are doing a wonderful thing --- taking her in and all. I'm not sure Bill would be so agreeable", Trish says of her husband.

"Well, it was a little shaky there at first, but Jack's come a long way."

Before anymore discussion can take place, Troy jogs over and asks where the virgin margaritas are. They have the pitcher sitting at their table and Trish pours him two cups which he quickly takes back to the pool after thanking her for her help.

"See what I mean,...attentive", Kathy reiterates.

"Well, he's becomes much more responsible this year, that's for sure", Lisa says.

"He doesn't have much of a choice, now does he?", Trish adds.

"Sure he does; he could have bolted and not helped her at all", Kathy states bitterly. The other two ladies look at her curiously. "Oh no, not me", she explains, "It was my cousin. Her high school boyfriend suddenly decided that a career in the armed forces would be the right choice for him when he found she was pregnant. He left town and she never heard from him again. Poor girl had to drop out of school and raise her daughter on her own."

"Well, I'd never let Troy get away with something like that", Lisa vows to her friends.

"I don't think you need to worry about that, Lis. Look at them now."

Back at the pool, Troy is helping Sharpay out of the pool and leading her over to the table where he has placed their drinks.

"Still, it's an awful lot of responsibility for a boy so young", Trish says while continuing to watch them.

"Oh, don't you be one of those, 'oh, the poor boy, he's too young for so much responsibility'", Kathy McKessie retorts with her voice dripping in sarcasm. "Well, that's a bunch of bull. He was there too; he's just as much responsible as she is, but you never hear about the girl getting any sympathy. She's looked upon like she's some easy slut. Well, I'm fed up with these ridiculous double standards."

The other two women are too shocked to reply to their friend's tirade. Kathy is normally very subdued and quiet. She takes a deep breath after her venting and says to Lisa, "I'm sorry; I just get a little carried away sometimes, but as the mother of the only girl here, I felt like I needed to stand up for the girl's point of view." Kathy finishes her explanation as she notices Sharpay give Troy a quick peck on the cheek before heading towards the house.

"It's okay and I'm glad you did. I'm starting to think of Sharpay as my own daughter now, anyway. It's good to know there are people who can see both sides of this."

"Yeah, and remind me to not get you mad", Trish says earnestly, "You may be tiny, but you're vicious."

"Well, I'm glad Taylor's not involved in any of that ... yet."

"Don't get too confident about that, Kathy", Lisa says as she indicates towards the pool where Taylor is shrieking loudly as Chad playfully tickles her in the pool.

Kathy's mouth opens to comment when they are interrupting by the door opening behind them. Thinking it is one of the aunts who has finally decided to come outside, they all stop talking and turn towards the sound.

Trish Danforth recognizes the new arrivals first and she jumps up to greet them.

"Maria, I'm so glad you decided to come", Trish says as she envelopes Maria Montez in a hug which the other woman stiffly returns.

"Good afternoon, Patricia", Maria Montez says very formally, "I'm sorry we're late; Gabi wasn't feeling very well, but she's better now."

Trish looks behind Maria and notices Gabriella standing awkwardly behind her mother and gazing longingly towards the pool. At least it looks like she gazing longingly towards the pool, but in actuality, she's, instead, gazing longingly at a certain sandy-haired, blue-eyed boy sitting alone at the pool.

"Oh, Gabriella. I didn't see you standing there, dear. Why don't you head on over the pool? You don't want to stay here with us boring old women."

Gabriella smiles shyly and turns to her mother, "Is that okay with you, Mama?"

"Of course, Gabi, just remember to be careful?"

"Oh, thank you, Mama. I will." Gabriella leaves the mom's table and makes a beeline straight to Troy.

Tricia turns to the other two ladies at the table. "Do you all know Maria Montez?"

Kathy McKessie rises and gives Maria a quick hug. "Of course, Gabriella is Taylor's best friend. How are you, Maria?"

"I am doing well, thank you, Katherine."

"And we met at the Twinkle Towne premiere. I was so sorry to learn that Gabriella didn't feel well after the show", Lisa says as she reaches over to shake hands with Maria.

"Oh, it's just her nerves. She doesn't do well in front of crowds", Maria says as she looks at Lisa in initial confusion. Then, her eyes light up as she recognizes her. "Oh, please forgive me. I didn't recognize you at first. You're Troy's mother."

"Yes, Lisa Bolton", she states her name in case Maria has forgotten it.

"Oh, Troy is such a kind young man,... so considerate. I miss seeing him at the house. He hasn't been around much lately; but then again, Gabi has been away at camp. She was a camp counselor at our church camp near Elephant Butte. In fact, she left right after they took that, what do you kid's call it? Oh yes, _road trip_ to Colorado."

"Well, he's been,... you know...busy. He's working full-time this summer and he's ... well ... busy. And besides, I was under the impression that Troy and Gabriella had decided to back off and not get too serious before school was out --- right after the prom, in fact." _Oh boy, this is awkward._

"Oh? Well, that's not what I understood. Gabriella never said anything like that. In fact, I'm surprised that she would go on that trip with him if that were true."

"You mean she didn't tell you about what happened on that trip when she got back?", Kathy asks her, incredulously. Taylor was very mysterious about the trip before she left; but when she got back, she sat down with her parents and explained everything.

"No, what was there to explain?"

"Oh my!", Tricia exclaims as she looks up and sees Sharpay coming out of the house and back towards Troy and Gabriella, "I think the fireworks might start early today."

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Gabriella walks quietly up to Troy and whispers out to him. "Hi, Troy."

Troy had been watching his friends in the pool and didn't hear her walk up, so he jumps when he hears her voice.

"Gabriella, you scared me!", Troy says as he holds his hand to his heart.

She sits down beside him and pulls the chair closer. "How have you been, Troy?"

The last time she saw Troy he was running scared, away from a pregnant Sharpay. She's secretly hoping that he kept right on running and now he's ready to come back to her.

"Oh, you know...busy. I'm working full-time this summer and I'm ... well ... busy."

"Well, I've been away at church camp for the past six weeks. I was a counselor this year. I just love working with kids. I was just wondering if you, maybe, wanted to get together sometime for some coffee or something."

"Look Gabriella, I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm..."

They are interrupted by the sound of the sliding door closing and Troy looks up with a smile when he sees Sharpay walking toward them. He stands up, walks towards her and takes her hand as he lovingly guides her back to their seats.

"Everything okay?", Troy says protectively.

"Sure, it's just sometimes I think I should have a porta-potty attached to me; it would save a lot of time." Just then, Sharpay looks up and sees Gabriella sitting in the chair. She takes Troy's seat and he pulls over another one for himself.

"Oh hi, Gabriella. I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Ditto", Gabriella says, embarrassingly.

"Gabriella was just telling me that she was a camp counselor this summer. Right, Gabriella?", Troy tells Sharpay.

"Um, yeah. You know why don't I leave you two alone. I'll go over a say hello to Taylor", Gabriella says as she starts to get up.

"Gabriella, wait. Please,... sit down", Sharpay insists as she reaches for Gabriella's sleeve. "I'd like to talk to you."

Gabriella sits back down reluctantly, but doesn't say anything.

"It's just...I wanted to thank you for helping me to get out of that home. I know it must have been really awkward and uncomfortable for you and I just really appreciate it."

Gabriella is floored. Of all the things she expects to come from Sharpay Evans, magnanimity isn't even on the list.

"Well,...you're welcome. So everything's working out between the two of you, now?"

"It still has it bumps; but that's life, you know", Sharpay says wisely.

"Sharpay is living with me now...um...with my family that is", Troy explains with a blush.

"His parents are wonderful", Sharpay adds.

"Wow...I just...I didn't really know what to expect, but this wasn't it. You've changed a lot, Sharpay", Gabriella tells her and then, silently hopes she doesn't take it the wrong way.

Troy takes the lead on this one. He reaches over and takes Sharpay hand as he says to Gabriella, "We both have, Gabriella."

"So what actually happened after all that stuff in Colorado. I've sort of been out of the loop."

Sharpay is surprised with herself at how comfortable she is, being around Gabriella again. Three months ago, she would have clawed her eyes out, but now she feels so confident in her relationship with Troy that she can actually sit and have a normal conversation with her.

"Well, to start with, my mother decided that that would be a wonderful time for her to disappear...", Sharpay starts as she slowly starts to tell her tale to Gabriella.

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"Who is that pregnant girl?", Maria Montez asks in obvious dislike. "I think it's disgrace how the young girls today flaunt their condition without any regard for how cheap it makes them look and how uncomfortable it makes the rest of us."

The table is silent for a few beats longer than it should have taken to response. Lisa raises her eyebrow and stares at Maria. She's trying to follow her own good advice for dealing with distasteful people and Maria Montez has placed herself securely in that category. She's taking deep breaths; she's counting; she's trying (oh, so hard) to place herself in the other person's shoes. Nothing's working.

Tricia sees that her friend is about to say something she'll regret later, so she decides to field this one herself, "Oh, that's Sharpay Evans...She's Troy's girlfriend", she states simply.

"What!? How can that be?", Maria's mind is working in overdrive. "She must be at least four or five months pregnant and that means that when Troy took Gabriella to the prom in April, she was already ..." Gabriella obviously inherited her math gene from her mother.

"Yes,... she was", Tricia finishes for her.

"Well, this is completely unacceptable..."

"I agree", Lisa speaks for the first time.

"Lisa...", Tricia says in a warning tone.

However, before a major catfight can break out, they are all interrupted by Bill and Jack simultaneously calling them all in for burgers.

Everyone settles down for their meal. Troy, Sharpay, Zeke and Gabriela sit together at one table and Chad and Taylor sit alone at a table with Taylor's mother suddenly watching them both very closely. The Boltons and the McKessies sit together; Tricia Danforth makes it a point to make sure that Maria and Lisa stay away from each other --- far away from each other. Oh, and the aunts are nowhere to be seen outside, preferring instead, to stay inside after they got their burgers.

When everyone has eaten their fill, the Bolton and McKessie table are involved in a riveting discussion of the Spike Network versus Lifetime, divided along gender lines, of course. Suddenly, Kathy hops up from the table and runs towards the pool.

Chad has started slowly working his way closer to Taylor and they are whispering excitedly together. Then, without any warning, Chad picks Taylor up and starts to walk toward the pool with the obvious intention of throwing her in. Ever since the discussion between the moms as to whether or not Taylor and Chad have reached that certain level in their relationship, Kathy has been watching them like a hawk ... an overprotective mother-hawk. And she's not liking what she's seeing. She can just imagine that being in the pool will afford them with enough cover to do things that they definitely shouldn't being doing in public.

"Thirty minutes!...thirty minutes!...you have to wait thirty minutes before going in the water after eating! Now get back over to that table!", Kathy is shouting at Chad and Taylor.

Chad stops immediately and both he and Taylor stare at Taylor's mom like she's crazy.

"Oh Mom, that's a myth", Taylor tells her mom while she's still giggling from Chad's earlier tickling.

"Well, I don't care...stay out so I can see you...I mean so you don't miss dessert. Chad's aunts cooked some delicious desserts and I'm sure you'll want some."

Chad seems to agree as he nearly drops Taylor in an effort to get to the dessert counter that they have set up in the kitchen.

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"So you're really tutoring Zeke?", Gabriella asks in amazement. "That's hard to believe."

"I agree with you; I find it hard to believe myself", Sharpay answers back with a smile which quickly turns to a grimace. She makes a small throat clearing noise and pats her upper chest, near her collarbone.

"Something wrong?", asks a concerned Gabriella.

"Is it the acid reflux again?", Troy asks.

"Yeah, I knew I shouldn't have drank that margarita --- way too much acidic acid.", Sharpay replies as she moves to stand up from the table. "I'm just going to go find some milk or something. That's about the only thing that helps."

"Should I go with you?", Troy offers.

"No, I won't be long; why don't you get back in the pool", she calls back to him as she walks towards the door leading to the kitchen.

"Sure. Gabriella, didn't you bring your swimsuit?", Troy asks her after noticing for the first time that she is wearing street clothes.

"Oh no, I can't go swimming right now", Gabriella says with a blush, hoping Troy understands without asking too many questions.

He actually doesn't have a clue what she's talking about, but he also doesn't seem to care.

"Oh, okay. Come on, Zeke; let's see who can make the biggest cannonball splash."

"You're on, man."

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As Sharpay enters the kitchen, she is bombarded with the smells of some scrumptious desserts. Scrumptious, that is, if you don't already feel like all the acid in your stomach is about to spout out your mouth. She must have looked a little queasy, because as soon as she closes the door all five of Chad's aunts instantly gather around her asking if there's something wrong.

"I need a little milk ... if that's okay?", Sharpay asks politely.

"Of course, just have a seat and I'll bring it right to you", says one of the younger aunts and she immediately bustles over to the refrigerator to pour her a glass.

The tallest of the aunts guides her over to the table in the breakfast area where the aunts have been camped all afternoon.

"Is it that awful heartburn, deary?", asks another.

"It's called acid reflux, Luticia", Eula Mae corrects her. She's the aunt who earlier retrieved the margarita pitcher for the group.

"Um, yes. It is. Most everything I eat or drink bothers me, except for milk", answers Sharpay.

"Oh, I remember Trish having that something fierce when she was expecting all three of hers", the aunt who fetched the milk says.

Numerous nods and Mmmmm Hmmmmm's are heard around the table.

"You're right Lavinia and it's a sure sign of a baby with a full head of hair", yet another one says.

Sharpay reaches out and gratefully takes a sip of milk.

"Now, don't drink it too fast, deary. Or it won't do you any good", advises Aunt Luticia.

Sharpay looks up at them with wide eyes as they are all staring and watching her drink her milk.

"She's right, honey. Oh, look what we've gone and done. We've scared the poor thing", says Aunt Eula Mae, "And you don't even know who we are, do you?"

Without waiting for a response, Eula Mae continues, "The least we can do is introduce ourselves. I'm the oldest and I'm Eula Mae. Next is Luticia, Imogene, Eunice-Florine and the youngest, Lavinia." Sharpay acknowledges each woman with a nod as she greets them. Luticia, the one who suggested heart-burn; Imogene, the tall sister who guided her to the chair, Eunice-Florine, who informed her that acid-reflux was the sign of a hairy baby; and Lavinia, who remembered Mrs. Danforth suffered from a similar ailment during her pregnancies. "Little Bill's father, Big Bill, is our baby brother. Our father just kept on trying until he got that son."

"Are you feeling better now, deary?", Aunt Luticia asks.

"Actually, I am. It doesn't usually take very long...um...I don't want to be nosy, but can I ask you ladies a question?"

"Of course", Eula Mae answers for all of them.

"Well, you're on vacation, right?", they nod. "On your way to the Grand Canyon, right?", they nod again. "That's a pretty rustic place; lots of outdoor activities, but,...excuse me if this sounds bad, but none of you strike me as the outdoorsy type."

Their silence makes Sharpay thinks she's overstepped her boundaries; but then, they all start to chuckle.

"I think we've been nailed, girls", Eula Mae says with resignation.

"I knew I liked her", Eunice-Florine says.

"Okay, here's the deal...you're right...we're not going to the Grand Canyon. Why on Earth would we want to waste our vacation looking at a big hole in the ground." She pauses as she receives a silent encouragement from around the room. "We're goin' ta Vegas, Baby!"

The whole room erupts in laughter, Sharpay included.

After a minute or so, the laughter dies down and Eula Mae asks in a serious tone, "But listen here, Sharpay, what happens _on the way to Vegas_ stays _on the way to Vegas_. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Even if they like her, they are still very intimidating.

"Our families are a bit overprotective and if they knew we were going to Sin City, they would have a cow."

More Mmmmmm Hmmmmm's are echoes around the room.

"You ladies are a lot of fun. I wish I had aunts...", Sharpay trails off.

"I hope you don't mind, but Trish told us about what happened with your own family and well, we've noticed how caring your young man is and his family, too. They're going to take good care of you, you mark my words."

"Oh, believe me, I know and I know how lucky I am too...well, excuse me, but I think my bladder's calling", Sharpay says as she rises to her feet and starts to walk towards the small powder room where she had changed, earlier.

"Better try upstairs, deary. I saw Little Bill go in there awhile back and he took the newspaper with him, if you know what I mean", Aunt Lavinia informs her.

"Thank you, Mrs...?"

"Aunt Lavinia, deary", Lavinia corrects Sharpay, "I think I speak for all of us."

"Well, thank you, Aunt Lavinia, Eula Mae, Imogene, Luticia and Eunice-Florine. You've all been very kind and your secret is save with me." She nods towards each one as she says her name.

"That's amazing...we still have relatives who can't keep us straight. Now head on out of here before you bust and you best not be too long. It's already nearly dark and the men folk will be itchin' to start the fireworks soon."

Sharpay wanders up the stairs and directly into what she assumes is the master bedroom. She quickly jogs across the immense room and into the connecting bathroom.

Five minutes later, she is washing her hands and appraising herself in the mirror. _ I don't know why I was so worried about going out in public with this on. I look hot, even for an old, settled, mommy-to-be._

She is just about to leave the room when she hears voices coming from the bedroom...loud, angry voices. Sharpay pauses with her hand on the door knob and listens.

"No...you listen to me, Gabriella Maria Montez, you will not see or be seen anywhere near that slutty little tramp", seethes an older woman's voice with a slightly Hispanic accent.

"But, Mama...", tries Gabriella.

"Gabi, don't you understand? I'm only trying to protect you. They're making a laughing stock of you. Don't you realize that she was already pregnant when that Bolton boy took you to the prom? I guess I should be grateful that it's not you who got knocked by him...Oh! Gabi, please tell me you and him didn't..."

"Of course not, Mama."

"Oh, thank the Lord, Jesus! I knew you were too smart to do something like that. You signed the contract at church; I expect you to abide by it." Maria Montez is referring to the Abstinence Contract that all the teenagers at her church have signed, affirming that they will stay pure and not engage in sexual intercourse until marriage.

"I have Mama, I swear, but I don't understand why I can't see them. They're my friends and she's changed. We're actually getting along now."

"Do you want to get along with her so much that you end up unwed and pregnant, too? She's a bad influence, Gabi. And she obviously seduced that poor boy --- just like a succubus. Like The Bible says, _suffer not a witch to live_", she finishes in a low dangerous voice.

"Mama!", Gabriella exclaims, "It's not the middle ages."

Sharpay has had enough. At first she was just going to wait until they left, but with all this "suffer not a witch to live" garbage, she's had enough.

Maria and Gabriella jump in surprise when the bathroom door is flung open and they see Sharpay standing in her bathing suit, without the cover-up. She forgot it on the bathroom sink. All day she's been especially careful to keep it on in order to retain what little modesty she has and now she's strutting out into the room in front of the people who will be most offended.

"A witch, indeed", Sharpay says in an eerily calm voice. "It sounds to me like the only witch here is you. And if you're going to quote The Holy Bible, do it right. Proverbs 11:9 'With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape.' And Ephesians 4:29 'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.'"

"Why, you little whore! I imagine you think you found yourself in a pretty good set-up --- a nice family that will care for your bastard child, it's obvious you had to trap him into this relationship. He wouldn't give you the time of day if you weren't pregnant with his child...oh, a very nice set-up, indeed."

"Mama, stop it now! You're being cruel and it's very unnecessary", Gabriella says as she places herself physically between Sharpay and her mother. She turns towards Sharpay, "I'm so sorry you had to hear this. She has ... outdated views on most things."

"And if I hadn't heard it, would that have stopped her from saying it?"

"No,...no, it wouldn't", Gabriella admits.

"Gabriella, I don't wish to stay here any longer. Come along; we're leaving", Maria announces and then without waiting for her daughter's reply, turns and walks from the room.

"I...I have to go", Gabriella says embarrassingly and then she turns and runs out, leaving Sharpay alone.

Sharpay is numb. The emotional confrontation with Mrs. Montez has taken a lot out of her and she slowly walks over to the bed and collapses onto it.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Twenty minutes later, the fireworks are going full force and Sharpay is nowhere to be found. Troy is starting to panic. The dads are in charge of the fireworks and they're doing a spectacular job. Rumor has it that Bill Danforth even went down to Mexico to purchase some slightly illegal ones this year. Everyone is outside watching except for Sharpay, Troy and the Montez'. The latter of whom seem to have left without telling anyone good bye. Troy has already searched everywhere outside, including the front of the house. He's finally made his way upstairs inside the large mansion.

Since Chad is his best friend, he's been in this house hundreds of times since they were little kids. However, until now, he never really appreciated the enormity of the structure. _ This must be how Sharpay used to live_, he thinks.

Troy's checked every room on the second floor except for the master suite. He cautiously opens the door and the light from the hall, combined with light coming from the open bathroom, illuminates the room enough for him to make out Sharpay lying on the bed, sound asleep. It's a large King-sized bed and her small body is overwhelmed by the size of it.

Troy smiles as he steps forward to look at her more closely. In fact he's just about to retreat from the room and let her sleep, until he sees the dried tear tracks on her left cheek.

He quickly takes the few remaining steps and gently drops down onto the bed with her.

"Shar, wake up, babe", he whispers quietly in her ear.

Sharpay slowly uncurls from the fetal position she was in when she cried herself to sleep.

"Troy?", she asks in a hoarse voice. She is initially confused and doesn't know where she is and then it all comes back to her and she inhales a sharp breath and sniffs as she starts to sit up. "Oh, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"You're upset; what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Can we go home now?", she asks in a childlike voice.

"Sure, we can. I'll tell Mom; Chad or Zeke can bring them home later. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, yeah that's good", she mumbles as she stands up and looks around for her wrap. She walks into the bright bathroom and after adjusting to the light, finds the wrap on the sink where she left it. Then, she takes the time to splash some water on her face before rejoining Troy in the bedroom.

"Come on, I'll take you to the truck; you can wait there while I get the keys."

Ten minutes later, he joins her in the truck. "I told Mom you didn't feel well. Chad's going to bring them home later. Dad and I will come back over tomorrow to pick up the grill."

Sharpay is slumped down in the seat, staring out the window. She doesn't respond to anything he's saying. They drive home in a deathly silence. Troy doesn't even break the quiet by listening to the radio.

After they pull into his dad's spot in the driveway, Troy turns to Sharpay.

"What's going on, Sharpay? Is it the baby?", Troy asks as gently as he can.

"The baby? _The baby_...that's all I ever hear about. How lucky I am that I have you because you'll take care of me and _the baby_...what a wonderful family the Bolton's are for taking me in and taking care of _the baby_...Well, I just want to know one thing, Troy Bolton, ... if it weren't for _the baby_, where would we be? Would there even be an us? Or would you still be with sweet little Gabriella and her perfect family? Well?"

_Where did all of this come from?_ Unfortunately, the moment it took for Troy to think this thought is moment enough for Sharpay to think she has her answer.

"How could I be so stupid to think that any of this was about me?", she says as she jerks open the door and jumps out of the truck.

_Troy jumps out of the truck and runs over the catch her. He takes her in his arms and explains how much he really does love her and she melts instantly... _

At least that was the plan.

Instead, he actually got stuck in the seatbelt and couldn't get the darn thing unbuckled. Then, when he finally managed to get the thing disconnected, he busts his knuckles opening the door. Then, with the seat belt still across this chest, he get tangled up in it and falls out of the truck and lands hard, right on his face. By the time, he's finally managed to right himself Sharpay is three houses away, walking on the sidewalk in her bare feet and wearing only her bathing suit sans wrap.

He runs up to her and says as he reaches for her arm to stop her, "Shar, please wait. We need to talk. Wha..."

She hauls around with the intention of slugging him; but luckily they are standing directly under a street light and when she sees his scraped and bruised face, Sharpay immediately stops. Her anger dissolves instantly.

"Oh my God, what happened?", she asks with concern as she reaches out to touch his cheek.

Troy flinches away when she touches him. "Ow, be careful", he whines, "I had a little scuffle with Dad's truck."

"I'm taking it, you lost", she says with a chuckle.

"Well, the truck had an unfair advantage. It's bigger and meaner than me."

"God, you are so cute, even when you have a black eye...This always happens to me; I'm supposed to be mad at you and then, you go and do something stupid or cute or in this case, something stupid _and _cute. It's just not fair."

"Um...can we start walking back to the house now? It's sort of awkward talking like this and if anyone comes along, they'll think you beat me up."

"Sure", she replies, curtly.

Once they get inside the house, he guides her over to the sofa.

"Mom and Dad will probably be a couple of more hours, so we have plenty of time to talk."

"So talk", Sharpay insists.

"Would if I could, but I can't...don't understand what's going on."

_Tears...damn tears! I, fucking, hate hormones!_

Sharpay angrily wipes away her tears and tries her best to get her temper back up, but she can't. She's turning her temper on the wrong person. _It's not Troy, it's Gabriella...Okay, that's not fair. It's Gabriella's mother._ She'd hate to be held responsible for something her wacky mother said or did, so she can't start blaming Gabriella for what Mrs. Montez said.

"It's something Mrs. Montez said", Sharpay finally admits quietly. She's sitting next to Troy on the sofa, but she's not looking him in the eye. Instead, she's playing nervously with the hem of her bathing suit top.

"Mrs. Montez? When did you talk to her?", Troy asks with some valid confusion.

"Gabriella and her mom were talking about me when I was in the bathroom. Well, it was really just Mrs. Montez talking and Gabriella listening ... well, actually, it was Mrs. Montez fuming and Gabriella listening."

"You're babbling."

"I..I knooow", she says as her final wall crumbles and the tears let loose.

_Oh, hell. I did it again, didn't I?_, Troy thinks to himself.

"Shhhh, it's okay. Just tell me, what did they or she say?", he wraps her arm around her and luckily, this time, she doesn't try to hit him.

"Bad things...really cruel, bad things. And now, basically, Gabriella's not allowed to talk to me, anymore. Not that we really talked all that much before, but anyway... I'm a bad influence, along with being a succubus, a witch, oh and a whore. ... That's about it."

"What!?", Troy shouts as he jumps up and starts pacing around the room. "Well, we'll just see about that...now won't we?" Unfortunately, his sudden departure causes Sharpay to lose her balance and fall over sideways on the sofa.

"Exactly what are _we_ going to do about it?", she asks sarcastically as she pulls herself back up to a sitting position.

"Well, I don't exactly know. We could call the police."

"The police? What do they care if she called me naughty names? I think I should stay away from her... and from Gabriella. I do feel sorry for Gabriella, though. I know what it's like to have a nut for a mother. I just hope she doesn't turn into her mother. You know I never thought about it before, but you probably saved me from becoming my mother. Thank you."

Troy stops pacing and quickly walks back over to her and drops to his knees in front of where she's sitting on the sofa. "No, I should be thanking you. I never realized how empty my life was before we got together. I mean, before this past year, there was nothing but basketball, twenty-four, seven. Then, there was singing and the show, but now looking back on that, I think it was just my own little strange way to get closer to you, to try to be a part of your world, you know. So I think you're the one who saved me."

"How about we saved each other?"

"Yeah, I like that. Oh, and you stop, right now, thinking that this is all about the baby because it's not. When you disappeared, I got so wrapped up in worrying about you that I failed two classes. Then, I forced my friends and your brother to drive up to Colorado to rescue you. And all of that was before I knew anything about this beautiful little piece of us growing inside you." As he finishes, he gently places his hand on her swollen stomach and then looks up into her eyes, bright with tears, matching the ones in his own.

"I love you, Troy Bolton --- you and all your sappy speeches."

TBC

Okay, everyone --- all together now, Awwwww.

Start date: Tuesday, July 4, 2006

A/N: Just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about the delay in updating. I was almost ready to post and then, my evil, possessed PC burped or choked or barfed or something and lost the whole chapter. I've spent the last four days rewriting it. I hope I didn't leave anything out.

A/N 2: If you're wondering what Chad's great-aunts look like, just think about the Klump family in The Nutty Professor and picture Eddie Murphy's mom (who of course was played by Eddie Murphy, too). I just love that movie.

A/N 3: Sorry about that whole Christian bashing with Mrs. Montez. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm a Christian myself, but I think we can all admit that there are some Christians who are a tad sanctimonious and have those "greater than thou" attitudes.

A/N 4: Oh, and before anyone complains about the stereotypical names I used for the aunts. I just wanted to let you know that with the exception of one of them, they are all names of older aunts in my own family.

Please let me know if you like it and review.


	31. Ch 30: School Registration

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue. I also do not own Starbucks.

**Chapter 30: School Registration**

The rest of the week passes without instance with two small exceptions: Jack and Lisa Bolton awake the morning after the party with one of the worst hangovers of their lives. And Sharpay finally starts to believe that she is being loved for herself and she truly gives herself, heart and soul, to Troy.

It's the next Monday and today Sharpay and Mrs. Bolton will go back to East High School to register her for her final year of high school. However, that's still several hours from now. It's very early and the Bolton household is still sound asleep.

Well, all except Troy and ... apparently, Sharpay.

"Mmmmmmm", Troy moans as he starts to awaken in a most delightful way. The first thing he is aware of this morning is Sharpay delicately running her nails along his manhood, teasing him through the sheets. Already at half-mast, since it's a normal biological imperative, he is quickly standing at full attention, proudly at the top of the flag pole. _Wow, this girl is amazing. You'd think that she'd be tired after last night..._

"Oooo, that's perfect...right there, baby...just like that."

"Wha?", Sharpay mumbles.

Just then, her nails dig in a little too deeply.

"Whoa, take it easy, baby. I'm delicate, remember?"

"What are you talking about?", Sharpay moans from under the pillow where her head is currently hiding.

Before his brain can make the connection that her voice is coming from too far away for her to be causing the kind of fantastic sensations he's feeling...

"Yeow!", Troy shouts in intense pain as he sits straight up in bed, causing the sheets to fall away and he reaches down, instinctively, to cup himself in self-defense. Suddenly, his hands make contact with something small and furry with extremely sharp claws. Clarity hits him instantly and he grabs Ginger and throws her off the bed. In the meantime, Sharpay comes to a complete wakeful state just as in time to see Troy toss her kitten across the room. Luckily, Ginger lands with an indignant thump in Troy's pile of dirty clothes from the night before. Nevertheless, she makes a moanful cry and scampers off under the bed.

"Troy! What did you just do to my cat?", Sharpay shouts at him as she hops out of bed and gets down on her hands and knees to look for the kitten under the bed. She is wearing only an over-sized t-shirt which has become her favorite sleepwear.

"_What did I do to your cat?_", Troy asks mockingly. "The question is: what did your cat _do to me_? She...she clawed me."

"So what? She's a kitten; that's what she does", she retorts as she lifts her head out from under the bed. Ginger must have run out the other side.

"I mean ... she clawed me ... you know ... down here", he says, indicating his cupped hands.

"Oh!", Sharpay exclaims as she climbs back into the bed. She sits on her knees near his injury. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry", she says with sincerity. "Let me take a look." She tries to move his hands away.

"Stop that!", he yells as he tries to swat her away with one hand while holding onto himself with the other.

"Quit being such a baby", she orders as she, once again, tries to pry his hands away. "I need to see if you're okay."

"No. Now, get away", Troy whines as he rolls onto his side and away from her.

"Weeeell...then, I'll just go get your mom to take a look."

He feels the bed shift as she stands and he starts to panic. Moving as quickly as he can, he rolls over and grabs her arm to stop her from leaving.

"No, please, wait", Troy pleads.

She stops immediately and sits back down on the bed. She glances, sideways down at Troy's ... ahem, manhood and asks, "Can I take a look, now?"

"Yeah,...I guess,... but be careful."

Five minutes later, after a thorough examination of the_ injury_, Sharpay gives her prognosis.

"I think you'll be alright. The scratches aren't that deep. You should put some antibiotic ointment on it after you take a shower. I could help, if you want", she offers. "And um, you know...it would probably be better to wait a few days for...you know...until the scratches have healed up."

After five minutes of Sharpay's...exam, Troy's starting to feel better already. _A real doctor's exam was never like this...thank God._

"I'm really sorry about Ginger", she continues, "Just what happened, anyway?"

"Um...well", Troy throws a sheet back over himself before he continues. "I thought it was you...you know, giving me an extra special wake-up. I think Ginger saw something moving under the sheets and starting playing with it."

"What?", she asks in confusion and then she glances down at the sheet-covered Troy Bolton and, sure enough, it does move, just a little, seemingly on its own. "Oh! Oh my goodness! That's ... that's hilarious", she finishes, just as she bursts out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, real funny. We'll see how funny you think it is after a several of days of...downtime, due to my recuperation."

That statement stops the laughter immediately and Sharpay gets a pained expression on her face which almost matches the earlier one on Troy's.

"I guess we'd better find that cat", Troy announces.

"Why don't you go take a shower", she suggests, "I'll find her; I doubt she'll come out for you, anyway. Oh, and I'll make sure she's locked out of here tonight, okay baby?"

He nods slightly and she gives him a feathery light kiss on the lips before climbing out of bed to start searching for the cat.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Wow, this place looks really different when there's no students here", Sharpay comments quietly as her voice echoes off the walls of East High School.

"I agree", Mrs. Bolton replies, "It's a little spooky, isn't it? Hey, you aren't nervous about this, are you?"

"Who me?", Sharpay asks sarcastically. "What do I have to be nervous about?"

"It's okay. Matt and I are old friends. I went to college with his wife."

"Matt?"

"Dave Matsui; his nickname's Matt. He's a good principal and a decent man. You don't have anything to worry about", Lisa says as she reaches out to give Sharpay's hand a reassuring squeeze.

They enter the nearly empty school office and find the secretary, Elaine Peterson, sitting at her normal position behind the first desk in the office complex.

"Good morning, Elaine", Lisa greets the older woman. She and Sharpay are separated from the desk area by a tall counter.

"Oh, Lisa. How have you been, dear?", the older lady asks, kindly.

"Very well, thank you. And you?"

"Oh, same oh, same oh. I'm seriously thinking of retiring after this school year", Elaine says with a deep sigh. "This old body is finally catching up with me."

"Oh Elaine, you say that every year, you know", Lisa says with a wink, "And you'll undoubtedly out last all of us."

"You're probably right...So what brings you out to see us in the middle of the summer", Elaine finally asks, getting down to business.

"We have an appointment with Matt about enrolling Sharpay Evans back into East High."

Noticing Sharpay for the first time, Mrs. Peterson turns to her from her sitting position, still behind her desk.

"Oh Sharpay, dear, how are you? How was Europe?", and then, without waiting for a reply, continues enthusiastically, "Oh, I can imagine how exciting a trip to Milan must have been and a modeling career on top of that."

Sharpay just stands there silently, stunned. She has no earthly idea to what the woman is referring. She turns to Mrs. Bolton with a questioning look on her face.

"I'll explain everything later", Lisa reassures her. Then, to Elaine, she explains, "Sharpay is staying with us now, Elaine. Is Matt ready for us?" She adds to stem any further questions.

"Oh, just let me check for you." Elaine seems a little flustered as picks up the phone and buzzes the principal.

After a brief conversation into the phone, Elaine sends them back to Mr. Matsui's office. Only as Lisa and Sharpay walk past the high counter and towards the interior offices does Mrs. Peterson finally see Sharpay completely.

She lets out a low whistle that neither Lisa or Sharpay hears and says under her breath, "Oh boy."

Mr. Matsui is already walking around his desk to greet them when Mrs. Bolton and Sharpay enter his office. He is mid-sentence before he sees Sharpay trailing after Lisa.

"Lisa, come in, please. And Sharpay, welco...oh my", his eyes fall immediately to her waist or to where her waist used to be.

Lisa takes up the conversation. "Oh, Matt. Please...don't you think the poor girl is sick and tired of that reaction. I would have expected better of you." She pulls a folder out of her shoulder bag and thrusts it at Mr. Matsui. "Here's her transcripts from the school in Colorado and the custody paperwork from the courts. You'll find everything in order."

Mr. Matsui takes the folder, but does not open it. He takes a deep breath before he says, "Be that as it may, Lisa. I'm sorry to tell you this, but Sharpay may not attend East High this year."

Sharpay has already sat down in the far chair and Lisa is just about to sit when the principal says this.

"What in the world are you talking about, Matt?", Lisa states slowly as she stands back up to her full height to face him. Standing toe to toe, Lisa Bolton is actually quite a bit taller than Mr. Matsui. She is actually quite a bit taller than most women and many men. And she is very much aware of how to use her height to her advantage and just how intimidating it can be.

"Now, calm down, Lisa", Matt states carefully, "Please understand that my hands are tied in this." He takes another deep breath and let's out a long sigh, before continuing. "Albuquerque Public School policy states that female students who have started to, ah,...show", he says in embarrassment, "are required to transfer to the alternative high school, South High. That's the policy; I can't do anything about it."

"South High?", Lisa states, incredulously, "Matt, you know as well as I do, South High School has the lowest test scores in the city. It's full of gangs and drugs. They'll eat her alive over there and you know it."

"I'm sorry, Lisa, but that's the policy", he says as he hands the folder back to her.

"Well, it's an absurd policy!", Mrs. Bolton says angrily as she jerks her folder away from him.

"Please, calm down. I'll call the principal over at South and inform her about Sharpay's situation. Would like to register her there today?"

"I don't actually expect me to answer that, do you?", she says in a low, dangerous voice.

"Lisa, please. If I could do anything about this, I would."

Now it's Lisa's turn to take a deep breath. "Sure, Matt", she says sarcastically, "I guess we have no choice but to do things your way." Then, turning to Sharpay, who she belatedly realizes hasn't spoken since they entered, she says gently, "Sharpay, hon,... Are you okay?"

Sharpay has a blank, stoic look on her face. "I'm fine, Mrs. Bolton. Could we leave now?", she asks quickly.

"Okay, hon. Let's get out of here."

"For what it's worth, I'll call Sarah Ramirez and let her know you'll be coming by soon", Mr. Matsui says as he trails after the two women who walking quickly through the outer office.

"I don't think it's worth much", Lisa calls back over her shoulder. With that final statement, they exit the office.

Mrs. Peterson repeats the statement she made earlier, "Oh boy."

Fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Bolton and Sharpay are sitting in a nearby Starbucks trying to recollect themselves. Contrary to how it effects other people, caffeine has a calming effect on Lisa Bolton. Sharpay is silently sipping a Strawberry Creme.

"Well, that could have gone better", Lisa comments as she sips her Venti Triple-shot Non-fat Latte.

"I should have realized what would happen before we got there. I mean, I've never really thought about before, but I've never seen a pregnant girl in our school."

"_When you show, you go._ That's an archaic policy. This is the twenty-first century for heaven's sake."

There's a few minutes of silence as they consider the situation.

"Okay, how does this sound?", Lisa continues, "We go over to South High and check it out, but no one's going to force you to attend there if it's unsuitable."

Sharpay is picking at her Iced Lemon Pound Cake. "But what alternatives do we have?"

Lisa lets out a deep sigh, "I'm not really sure, Sharpay. I'm not really sure."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Thirty minutes later, they arrive at the school. All four of Albuquerque's high schools: North, South, East and West were built on the same floor plan and all within five years of each other. They were built in the late 1980's and were part of a huge education initiative which ensured the election of that era's mayor and city council. Ensured their election, that is, until the local property taxes shot through the roof in order to pay for them. After the backlash from that spending spree, all construction of the new schools was halted. The only school affected by this was South High. The other three schools were successfully completed, but due to South High School's location on the poorer side of town, it fell by the way-side. Where East High has been updated and well-maintained for the past twenty-five years, South High is barely keeping its head above water. The three-quarters completed building houses a larger student body than any other school in the city. And, unsurprisingly, has the largest turnover of faculty in town. In fact, the current principal, Sarah Ramirez, has lasted for five years, which is the all-time record for the school.

As Lisa and Sharpay enter the building, they are both shocked at its state of disrepair. Graffiti covers the outside of the building and the broken windows seem to outnumber the unbroken ones. Despite all of this, they are greeted at the front door by a cheerful looking middle-aged Hispanic woman. Her long, dark hair is pulled back in a pony-tail and she's wearing paint-stained work clothes.

"You must be Lisa Bolton and Sharpay Evans; Dave Matsui gave me a call", she states as she offers Lisa and then, Sharpay, her hand, "I'm Sarah Ramirez. Welcome to South High. You'll have to excuse the way I look, but we're having a self-help painting party today. Around here, if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

"Hello, Principal Ramirez", Lisa tells her, seriously, "I'd like to say I'm happy to meet you, but I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Yes...Dave explained about your daughter's situation on the phone."

"Oh, I'm not her daughter. She's my...the Boltons are my foster family", Sharpay explains after her initial falter.

"Oh, we have many children in foster care here at South. Have you been in the system long, Sharpay?"

"No, no,...it's not like that at all. You see my mother disappeared..."

"Sharpay, you don't have to explain everything to_ her_", Mrs. Bolton says in barely concealed animosity.

Sensing immediately that this woman is going to be a hard sell, Principal Ramirez offers, "Why don't we go into my office so we can speak in private?"

They concede and follow her into a tiny, overstuffed office. There is only one chair on the other side of the messy desk. "Oh, I forgot; Mr. Mendelson had to borrow my other chair for a parent meeting in the conference room. He'll probably be one of your teachers, Sharpay."

"Um, I could just stand", Sharpay suggests.

"Oh no, not your condition. Here, you sit in my chair; I'll just...oh, here, this'll work just fine for me", Mrs. Ramirez says as she props herself on a stack of cardboard boxes in the corner of her office.

"Now, you have Sharpay's paperwork?", she continues.

"Yes", Lisa says, but she makes no move to hand over the folder, "but I have some questions first, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, what do you need to know?"

"Well, Sharpay and I have talked and she's extraordinarily gifted in language arts and mathematics", Lisa nods towards Sharpay who takes up her own case.

"Yes, I was hoping to take both AP English and AP Calculus this year", Sharpay says confidently. Mrs. Bolton and she have discussed that if she is going to be attending this school, she should start the association off on a strong note and not let them push her around. "My math grades really improved at my last school in Colorado...It was a private Catholic school." She glances sideways at Mrs. Bolton who gives her an encouraging nod at her creativity in explaining her previous school situation. It's true; this school doesn't need to know everything.

"Oh, well,...this is certainly a first. I don't believe I've ever had a student at this school request more difficult classes. It's very refreshing", Mrs. Ramirez says with a smile, which very quickly turns into a frown as she continues, "Unfortunately, South High doesn't offer any AP classes, Sharpay. In fact, we don't even offer college prep."

They are both speechless. Sharpay recovers first. "Oh, then,... what _do _you offer?"

"It's pretty much your basic three R's here, or perhaps four R's: _Remedial _Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Sorry, but we just don't have the budget or the interest for those types of classes. Oh, but we do offer parenting classes for our expecting mom's. It will help better prepare you for your future."

"But what future are you preparing us for if you aren't even preparing us for college?", Sharpay asks incredulously.

"Well, we have a fairly practical approach to life here, Sharpay. And to be quite frank, if you were planning on attending college, perhaps you should have foregone the sex until after high school or you might have been a little more careful and considered all the consequences."

"Hold on there, just a minute, Mrs. Ramirez. You know absolutely nothing about Sharpay's circumstances and I find it absolutely reprehensible that you choose to judge her so harshly and set her up to fail before she even has a chance."

"I've been here for five years now, Mrs. Bolton, and I've seen a lot of girls in Sharpay's shoes. I just think they should realize that an easy life is just a pipe dream. It would be reprehensible for me to coddle them and let them walk out of here thinking that life is a cake walk because it isn't and they might as well learn that now!", Mrs. Ramirez finishes her passionate speech with more than just a little bit of anger in her voice.

Lisa Bolton stands slowly as she says to the principal through gritted teeth, "I, for one, think Sharpay's life isn't over yet and I think she still has a chance to be whatever she has the courage to work towards. And I'll be damned if I'm giving up, so easily, on this girl. And I'll be damned if she'll ever set foot in this building ever again because she certainly won't be attending school here."

Then, with anger still brewing in her eyes, Lisa turns towards Sharpay and says, "Sharpay..."

Sharpay has never seen Mrs. Bolton like this before. She is immediately taken back in time to the many instances like this that she has been in with her own mother: when Sharpay was in fourth grade, the angry confrontation with the dance instructor who was not performing to Judith's satisfaction; when Sharpay was in the seventh grade, the angry confrontation with the voice coach who was not performing to Judith's satisfaction; and finally, the most recent confrontation with Sharpay's doctor when he told Judith that she was going to be a grandmother... In that case, it was Sharpay, herself, who was not performing to Judith's satisfaction.

Therefore, she completely expects this confrontation between Mrs. Bolton and the principal to end the same way --- Mrs. Bolton will walk to the door and call back over her shoulder, "Sharpay, come along", and then, she will walk out without a second glance to see if Sharpay is actually following her. However, what Mrs. Bolton does completely floors her. She turns towards Sharpay and her demeanor instantly softens. "Sharpay", she repeats more gently, "Are you ready to go home, sweetheart?" Next, she reaches out her hand and waits for Sharpay to take it.

Sharpay nods quickly and holds out a shaky hand that Mrs. Bolton grabs. She, then, pulls her up out of the seat. Mrs. Ramirez calls after them, but neither Sharpay or Lisa slow down until they are completely out of the building. Sharpay, who has been controlling her emotions perfectly throughout this long, tiresome day, breaks down as soon as they exit the building. Her eyes well up with tears and her shoulders start to shake.

"Oh baby, it's going to be okay. Don't worry, we'll work this thing out", Lisa tells her, reassuringly.

"Nooo,...that's not it, Mrs. Bolton. It's just...just...I wish ... I wish you were my real mom", she trails off into a whisper.

They've made their way to Lisa's car and she sits Sharpay down in the passenger seat and then, she kneels down next to her with the door still door open. Sharpay is regretting what she just said since Mrs. Bolton hasn't responded. Therefore, Sharpay is staring down at her hands and trying desperately to not look into Mrs. Bolton's eyes, afraid of what she might see.

Lisa Bolton is slightly taken aback by her admission. Not that she's not thrilled, but she's just confused at what might have prompted the statement at this time.

"Sharpay...Sharpay, look at me, please."

Sharpay, reluctantly, looks over at her.

"Good. Sharpay, nothing would please me more than for you to be my daughter."

Sharpay hiccups through her tears. "Rreally?"

"Really. Since you won't call me Lisa anyway, how about calling me, Mom?" She reaches over to hug the younger woman who just nods silently into her neck.

TBC

Begin Date: Monday, July 10, 2006

A/N 1: Remember, Judith had some goofy cover story about Sharpay going to Milan for a modeling gig. Sharpay, since she was actually kidnapped and taken to Colorado, never heard this story.

A/N 2: Despite what I said about trying to be technically accurate about stuff, I just wanted to let you know that I just made up all that stuff about N, S, E and W high schools. I do know that South West Albuquerque is the poor side of town and there is, in general, more drug-use and gang activity there.

Oh, and all the stuff about forcing a pregnant girl to go to a certain "alternate" high school is true. It doesn't happen all that much anymore, but there are still some isolated instances of this type of discrimination. And it is covered under Title 9 and the ACLU will jump on a school district in a skinny minute if they try to get away with any of that nonsense. More about that in the next chapter.


	32. Ch 31: Fighting Back

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 31: Fighting Back**

"Are you sure about this?", Lisa Bolton asks into the phone. She is standing in the kitchen holding a letter in one hand and the phone in the other as she paces back and forth across the floor.

Sharpay is sitting at the table watching her and thinking how much she is reminded of Troy's nervous pacing. _They don't seem to be able to think unless they're moving._

"Of course, I'm sure", Trish Danforth replies to Lisa, "I didn't type all of Bill's law school papers, plus every brief he wrote for the first ten years of his private practice without learning a lot about the law."

"Well...couldn't you just ask him?", Lisa suggests.

"Lisa...I told you this before. He's working for the man now; heck, he is the man --- he's an ADA in the district attorney's office. That would be a conflict of interest, but I can do you one better. Let me call a friend of ours who does a lot of civil cases. I'll set up an appointment."

"That's very kind of you, Trish, but it also sounds a little expensive", then, lowering her voice and stepping to the opposite end of the kitchen, she continues, "Money's a little tight right now."

"Don't worry about it. She usually handles these kinds of cases pro bono. I'll give you a call back when I know something."

"Great, thanks much, Trish", Lisa says as she hangs up the phone.

"Well?", Sharpay asks with trepidation.

"It sounds promising. Tricia is going to call a friend of hers and she'll get back to us later."

"A friend? But I thought Mr. Danforth was a lawyer. "

"He is, but he works for the District Attorney's office. If this thing goes to court, he could possibly be the one representing the school system. It would be a conflict of interest for him to even talk to us", Lisa explains as she sits down at the table with Sharpay. She tiredly lays the letter down on the table.

"The thing I can't believe is how quickly we received this letter", Lisa continues. "It's only been two days since we were at South High."

The letter lays untouched on the table between them. It arrived in the mail today and explains in no uncertain terms that Sharpay Evans is expected to attend South High School for her final year of public school education.

"Yeah, this is about the quickest I've ever seen the school board react", Jack comments as he joins the rest of the family. Troy scoots his seat closer to Sharpay and hugs her silently. There isn't much to say at this point.

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At five o'clock the next Monday afternoon, the front door bell rings and Jack opens it to reveal Tricia Danforth and an incredibly attractive woman with long blond hair. She is dressed to kill in a navy power suit and six-inch heels.

He leads the two women into the living room where Lisa, Sharpay and Troy are waiting. Tricia handles the introductions.

"Sarah Bradley, these are the Boltons: Jack, Lisa and Troy", Tricia says indicating each Bolton in turn, "And this is Sharpay Evans", she finishes with Sharpay who is sitting on the sofa, holding hands with Troy.

After the ladies are sitting comfortable, Tricia says, "Well, let's get down to business. As I told Lisa earlier, Sarah has done a lot work for the ACLU and specializes in sexual harassment suits."

"Hold on a sec, _sexual harassment_?", Troy questions, and then, turns to Sharpay, "You never said anything about that? Did somebody touch you or say something to you?"

"No, of course not. Ms. Bradley?", Sharpay asks, hoping the attorney will take over.

"No Troy, sexual harassment has more than one meaning. In this case, it means treating her differently because she's pregnant and, more importantly, treating her in a substandard manner. And that's illegal. In fact, I'm surprised a case like this one hasn't come up in Albuquerque before now. This is all covered under Title IX, which became law in 1972, before either one of you was even born. Unfortunately, the wheels of justice turn slowly."

"Whoa, now I'm confused", confesses Jack, "What does any of this have to do with girls playing sports?"

"Good question, Jack. While it's true that Title IX is most renown for allowing equal opportunities for girls in public schools to participate in sports, it also covers other important aspects of sexual harassment, like forcing Sharpay to attend a different school because she going to become a mother when they aren't forcing Troy to change schools because he's going to become a father. Varying the treatment of the individual based solely on gender is the heart of sexual harassment. It all stems from the fact that people are uncomfortable with teenage sexuality, particularly female sexuality, and pregnancy is an embodiment of that. Rather than deal with issues related to the teen mother, society just prefers to hide her away. "

"I, actually, find this all very exciting", Tricia adds with much enthusiasm, "I mean we have a chance to make a real statement here."

"But I don't want to make a statement, Mrs. Danforth. I just want to finish high school at my old school", Sharpay explains quietly.

"But what about all the girls who come after you, Sharpay?"

"Trish, I agree with Sharpay", Sarah states simply, "Don't worry, Sharpay, I'm not planning on filing any kind of legal action."

"What?", Tricia asks incredulously, "Why not?"

"Trish, if we, pardon the expression, _make a federal case out of this_, ... yes, you're right, we'll be making a real statement, but Sharpay's baby will be Kindergarten before it's settled and it will be too late for her. If you want to make a statement, I suggest you find some girls down at South High who are willing to put forth the case. As for Sharpay, I plan on scaring the bejeezies out of that school board. Trust me after we're finished with them, they'll wish they'd never heard of us."

"So just so we all understand what's going on, what exactly are her rights here?", Lisa asks.

"Alright,...basically, attendance at separate schooling sites must be voluntary. So if Sharpay would feel more comfortable attending an alternate school, she has that right, but she can't be forced to go there. If she chooses to attend this alternate school, the education should be comparable to that of her prior school. If she needs to be absent from school for an extended amount of time after childbirth, she has the right to have tutoring at home if this option is available to other students (like the football player who broke his leg)."

"Wow, I had no idea that I had any rights at all", Sharpay tells her. She's feeling much more relaxed now and her body gratefully sinks back into the sofa. It's been an incredibly stressful week and her hands absently starts to rub her tummy, soothing the tumbling within.

"Well, you do. And it's about time we remind the Albuquerque Public School Board about it."

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The Boltons, Sharpay, and Ms. Bradley enter the large conference room together. The school board members are milling about at the front of room, chatting with each other and filling their water cups in preparation for a long meeting. This is technically the first board meeting of the new school year, even though school doesn't begin for another three weeks. It's been two weeks since the first meeting with Sarah Bradley and she's well prepared to present Sharpay's position to the board.

They all take their seats in the movie theater-like auditorium seats. The board members start to take their seats and the room becomes quiet in anticipation of the start of the meeting. There is a small commotion at the end of aisle where the Boltons are sitting when a last-minute arrival causes the entire row to shift over one seat.

"Sorry, I'm late", Dave Matsui says as he sits down next to Jack.

Lisa sees Principal Matsui and leans over to whisper, "What are you doing here, Matt?" There is nothing friendly in her question.

Matt leans over Jack to reply, "I was serious when I told you my hands were tied in this. I don't like the policy either and I'm here to offer my support."

"Oh", Lisa mumbles.

"Will you two get off me?", Jack complains as he is currently squished between the two of them.

"Shhh, the meeting is starting", Lisa says as she points their attention back to the front of the room.

An extremely, long, boring hour and a half later, the school board has finally reached the portion of the agenda where they take open questions and statements from the audience. Nodding over to Sharpay, Sarah Bradley and Sharpay rise and proceed to the podium.

"Ummm, hi... I'm sorry, but I'm very nervous. My name is Sharpay Evans and I have been a student in Albuquerque public schools since kindergarten. I lived in Colorado for a brief time last school year, but now I'm living here again. When I went with my foster mother to register for my senior year at East High School, we were told by the principal that I would be required to attend the alternative school at South High School due to my pregnancy."

"Yes, that is the policy, Miss Evans", a gray-haired woman replies. Her nameplate identifies her as Agnes Montoya, the board member who represents north east Albuquerque which includes East High School. "South High School has a curriculum tailored toward the teen mother and includes an on-site daycare center."

"I beg your pardon, ma'am, but South High School's curriculum only prepares it's students to pass the bare minimum requirements of a high school education and doesn't offer any college preparatory classes, let alone any Advanced Placement courses", Sharpay finishes as she takes a deep breath and rubs her stomach.

Sharpay's unconscious movement doesn't go unnoticed and causes more than one of the board members to shift uncomfortably in their seats.

"And you think you would qualify for AP classes, Miss Evans?" This question comes from a balding, thin man with wire rimmed classes. He is Nathaniel Blevins and he represents north west Albuquerque. He is speaking to Sharpay in barely controlled disdain.

Before Sharpay can answer, Mr. Matsui appears next to her. "May I?", he asks of her, as he indicates the microphone. She nods and steps aside to allow him to speak.

"Excuse me, I'm Dave Matsui and I'm the principal at East High. I believe I can answer that question. Sharpay is an excellent student and has been since she walked through our doors three years ago. Looking at her school records, I believe she would have no difficulties, whatsoever, in taking and in excelling in a course load which includes advance placement classes. It was with a heavy-heart that I was forced to tell her about the school board's policy regarding pregnant students."

Ms. Bradley takes this as her cue and steps up to the podium. Sharpay and Mr. Matsui sit down directly next to the stand. Mr. Matsui reaches over and gives Sharpay's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sarah Bradley and I'm here to explain a few truths to you good people. I understand that you are all hard working residents of this fair city and that you care greatly for your community, otherwise you wouldn't be here tonight. I want to see justice served and for you to avoid any unnecessary litigation which may cause embarrassment and loss of federal funding to your school system."

"Sarah Bradley? Aren't you the ACLU lawyer on CNN?", says one of the youngest members of the board, Jake Matthews, member-at-large, that is, he wasn't elected because of where he lives, but represents the city as a whole.

"They have consulted me on occasion." The board members start to murmur excitedly amongst themselves with their hands held over their microphones so no one can overhear them. Ms. Bradley waits silently for the uproar to die down.

Finally, the Chairman of the Board, Lucas Molina, is forced to hit his gavel in order to silence his own board members. "Silence!", he shouts, "Please, Ms. Bradley, explain to us exactly what it is you want."

"It's very simple, Mr. Molina. Sharpay Evans wants to attends East High School, the school in which she is zoned to attend by her residence in eastern Albuquerque. That's all she wants --- the opportunity to continue to attend her school where I know she will do well. It's very simple."

"But our policy clearly states...", Mr. Blevins, the disdainful man, starts.

"Your policy is illegal. Title IX", several groans are heard from the board, "has been law since 1972 and that law insures that pregnant students are given equal opportunity to receive a public school education. While alternative schools may be offered to students, students may not be forced to attend those schools. A policy similar to yours was settled in the courts in 2004 in California. It took over a year and nearly a million dollars in court fees. We don't want to cause that kind of trouble and unwanted attention here, now do we?"

"So...so what do you expect us to do?", the chairman asks nervously.

"For the immediate future, allow Miss Evans to attend East High School and allow her to participate in any school activities in which she is qualified. And...", Ms. Bradley pauses for effect, "start changing your policy which will ensure that I'm not standing here again next year with another high school girl discussing this same subject because the next time, we'll do our talking before a judge."

"Ahem", Mr. Molina clears his throat, "I would like to call for a break to discuss this development. The board will retire to conference room A and we will reconvene here in twenty minutes." He hits his gavel on the desk to signal the end of that session.

As the board members file out of the room, Troy runs down to join Sharpay where she is still sitting with Mr. Matsui, though he is no longer holding her hand. He quickly makes eye contact with his principal.

"Um, thanks for coming, Mr. Matsui. We really appreciate your support."

"Yes, thank you", Sharpay adds.

"No problem, kids."

Then, Troy turns to Sharpay and lowers his voice, "I'm really proud of you, Shar. You did a great job up there."

Dave Matsui realizes they need a few moments alone and so he excuses himself to goes back to talk to the Boltons who are standing near the podium talking to Sarah Bradley.

"Matt, I'd like to apologize", Lisa says sincerely as she steps away from Jack and Sarah. "I was pretty hard on you before and I'm sorry and I really appreciate what you said about Sharpay."

"It's the least I could do, Lisa. And by the way, Troy said almost exactly the same thing just a few minutes ago", then Matt turns to glance at Troy and Sharpay who are still sitting down and are now huddled close together. "I didn't realize Troy and Sharpay even traveled in the same circles, what with all the cliques in school and all. They seem to be pretty close."

"Yes, Matt, they're very close", Lisa says slowly, waiting for his reaction.

Mr. Matsui's eyes open wide when he realizes her implication. "Oh, I feel really stupid, Lisa. I had no idea."

"Well, their relationship took us all by surprise, but we're adjusting. Sharpay is wonderful girl and they are both very much in love."

Matt's voice comes out as a whisper, when he asks, "But are you really ready to be a grandmother, Lisa? I don't think Joyce would take it as well as you. You're both too young to be grandmothers."

"Well, at least I'm young enough to enjoy it. Jack's mother was in her seventies when Troy was born."

"I suppose; well, I, for one, am way too young and hip to be anybody's pappy", he says jokingly, "but I guess it suits Jack. He's always been a stick in the mud, even when we were younger."

Just then, the board members reenter and everyone sits down. Lucas Molina starts talking once everyone has settled down.

"After a brief discussion amongst ourselves, the Albuquerque School Board hereby accepts Sharpay Evans' admission into the student body of East High School." Troy starts cheering and a few strangers in the back of the room join in. "Please, settle down...thank you. Any other considerations will be met on a case by case basis. Furthermore, the school board will begin a study group to implement more choice within the school system and this implementation will be in place no later than the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. If there are no further open statements from the floor...this meeting of the Albuquerque Public School Board is hereby dismissed."

"Wow, it's over", Sharpay sighs as she and Troy start to walk up the inclined aisle way to leave the auditorium. They are just about to the exit when someone calls to Sharpay.

"Miss Evans...Miss Evans", a small woman in her mid-fifties runs up to them. She was sitting on the board, but hadn't directly questioned Sharpay or Ms. Bradley earlier. "Hi", Sharpay stops and turns toward her as the woman stops to catch her breath. "I just wanted to let you know something. There is more than one of us on this board who feel what you are doing is quite admirable. I mean it would have been easy to drop out and not try to continue their education and you have taken it even one step further by not only continuing in school, but actually seeking a more challenging path."

"Wow, um...thank you", Sharpay replies.

"That's all really...I just didn't want you to think we were all like Nathaniel Blevins."

"We really appreciated that, ma'am", Troy adds.

"Oh, are you...", the woman asks, noticing him for the first time.

"I'm Troy Bolton, Sharpay's boyfriend."

"Oh, so she isn't completely alone in this?"

"No, ma'am. She isn't."

"It's very refreshing to see two young people face their responsibilities together. Have a good evening."

"We will and thank the board for us, too", Troy adds as he takes Sharpay's hand and they hurry to catch up with the family.

TBC

Begin Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2006; End date: Wednesday, July 26, 2006. 25 weeks gestation at end date.

Oh and someone asked how far along she is, so I'm going to add that to the dates thingy.

A/N: Sorry, but I kinda think this chapter is a little weak, but I think you have to admit --- very educational. Oooo, that's a dirty word, isn't it? Anyway, I had no idea about any of that title 9 stuff until I started doing research for this story. I thought it was just about girl's sports too.

I've decided that I will try and update as often as possible, with smaller chapters, at least for this week. Since we're all sitting around waiting for the big premiere on Friday, it'll give me something to do.

In defense of Albuquerque Public Schools, the following to taken directly from the ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENT BEHAVIOR HANDBOOK

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination against pregnant or parenting teens. Title IX views teen pregnancy as a "medical condition", therefore pregnant teens:

-- May voluntarily elect to stay at their home school during their pregnancy.

-- May enroll at New Futures School.

-- Are to receive a comparable curriculum and academic opportunities as they would at their home school.

-- Are allowed to retain their enrollment status at New Futures and participate in extra-curricular activities at their home school.

-- Retain their academic standing, which cannot be altered due to their "medical condition".

The New Futures school is the alternate school for pregnant and parenting teens in Albuquerque. For more than three decades, the Albuquerque school has stood out as a nationally recognized model program in early childhood development. It's a program where the child's education is just as important as getting mom or dad to graduate from high school.

There just wanted to say that.

Next up: the first day back at school.


	33. Ch 32: First Day of School

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 32: First Day of School**

Troy turns off the ignition and removes the key. Then, he turns to Sharpay with a big grin on his face.

"This is it: the first day of our last year of high school. You ready?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick", Sharpay says in a whisper. "Maybe I should have just gone to South High, you know? I'd fit in there better; be accepted there."

"Hey, look at me, Shar." She reluctantly looks over at him and he reaches over and takes her hand. "You are the strongest person I know. You can do anything, Sharpay Evans. Now, you and I are going to walk through those doors, hand in hand, and face this school together because we're stronger than any of them and together we're unstoppable."

"You really believe all that?"

"I really do."

"Then, I guess I should, too."

"Hey, we'd better get going; we don't want to be late our first day."

Albuquerque is a medium sized city and the community in the north eastern section where East High is located, is very close. Therefore, anyone who is anyone has already heard the rumors about Sharpay Evans. Rumors spread like weeds, especially when they receive the kind of fertilizer provided by a certain blond, former cheerleader. Everyone has an opinion; some are shocked; some don't want to believe it; some refuse to believe it and some are delighted to believe it. However, no matter what they think, everyone has come out to see for themselves. Someone has actually sent runners out to the parking lot to alert, what appears to be, the entire student body of East High when Sharpay arrives.

As they leave the parking lot, Taylor comes up to walk beside Sharpay, offering her silent support. She reaches over and clasps Sharpay's left hand. Troy is holding tight to her right hand. Then, Troy is joined by Chad walking on his right side. As a result, the four of them walk together into a sea of students milling around outside the entrance. If you thought Sharpay could part a sea of students before...you ain't seen nothin' yet. As they approach, everyone pulls back to let them pass and to stare at the small blond in the group. There are a few snatches of conversation heard, but for the most part there is complete silence.

Taylor and Troy, simultaneously, squeeze Sharpay's hand a little tighter when they feel her steps start to slow. Troy leans over and whispers in her ear, "We're almost there, just a few more steps."

The crowd isn't sure what to expect; but when nothing really happens, they all disperse with a mixture of disappointment and confusion.

The four of them stay together until they reach Sharpay's locker. Sharpay lets out the breath she's been holding and gives Troy a shaky smile.

"Chad and I have Mr. Walker for homeroom this year", Taylor tells Sharpay in a casual tone. Sharpay makes a mental note to thank her later for making such a valiant effort at maintaining normality.

"W...", Sharpay has to clear her throat to continue, "We, Troy and I, that is, have Mrs. McManus. I've heard she's nice --- nothing like Darbus."

"Well, we'll see you guys at lunch if not before", Chad says as they start to walk away. Then, he stops suddenly and runs back up to Sharpay. "Hey, I just wanted to say --- you did good, girl", and he reaches over to give her hand a quick squeeze and a tiny peck on the cheek. "See ya!"

Then, before she can react, he runs off to catch up with Taylor.

"Wow, sometimes Chad can really surprise you", she comments to Troy as they walk side by side down the hall, successfully avoiding the casual glances they receive --- the glances that are just a little too casual to actually be casual.

Mrs. McManus is as nice as they've heard and treats Sharpay just like any other student --- well, any other drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly talented, amazingly intelligent student, thinks Sharpay, which is just what she wants --- no special treatment.

Classes are going great. As luck would have it, every one of Sharpay's classes has at least Troy, Taylor or Chad, forming Sharpay's unofficial support structure. Every class except physics. It's the last class before lunch and Sharpay has to come from AP Literature in the main building to the physical sciences building which is on the other side of campus. On top of all of this, she has to go to the bathroom.

She walks in the class five minutes late as Mr. Langford is in the middle of the roll call and has already passed the E's. Rather than allow her to discreetly enter the class and sit down, he stops talking and turns to her dramatically, ala Mrs. Darbus.

"Ah, you must be the famous Sharpay Evans. I've been told to expect you, but I wasn't told to expect you to arrive late."

Sharpay can't help but feel like she's on display since every eye in the classroom is on her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Langford, but I have to come all the way from the main building and I needed to stop off in the restroom first."

"I see...", then he turns to address the rest of the class, "Allow me to conduct a small survey, if you will. By a show of hands, how many of you had to trudge _all the way from the main building_ to come to this class?"

About half of the class raises their hands.

"And yet, you all managed to arrive in a timely manner.

"Of those long-distance hikers, how many of you stopped for a potty break on your way here?"

Snickers are heard throughout the classroom. A couple of students lazily raises their hands.

"And yet again, you all managed to arrive here in a timely manner." Then, turning back to Sharpay, he continues, "All except you, Miss Evans."

"I'm sorry, sir", Sharpay whispers.

"I have also been told that you are to receive equal treatment and be allowed to participate in all aspects of school. In accordance with that edict, I will see you in detention today immediately after school. You may be seated." And then without missing a beat, he says, "Eric Stanton", as he resumes calling the roll as if he had never been interrupted.

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Sharpay is the last to arrive at the lunch table and she flops down into her seat with a large sigh.

Troy and Chad are stuffing food in their mouths as fast as they can, but Troy pauses long enough to ask with concern, "Everything, okay?"

"I must have the worst schedule in this school. I'm always walking from one end of this place to the other and I don't think Mr. Langford likes me very much."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that", says Taylor, "He doesn't like anybody."

"What happened?", Troy asks with concern.

"I don't really want to talk about it", and then seeing the hurt look on Troy's face she adds, "I'm sorry; I'll tell you the details later, but I guess I'm starting out the year right because I have detention after school today. Would you mind coming back for me later?"

"Detention...oh that's harsh. But it's not a problem for me. In fact I have to stay for basketball drills. Dad's not wasting any time this year. I was going to give the keys and catch a ride home with Dad, but now we'll finish up about the same time. Hey, you'd better go get some lunch or you won't have time to eat."

"I'm really not very hungry."

"Oh no, you don't. It's more important that you eat than me." Then, pushing his tray in front of her he offers, "Here, eat mine."

Sharpay wrinkles her face up in disgust when she looks at what's on his tray. "Ew, gross. Thanks honey, but it's a half-eaten taco salad and there's no lettuce left in it."

"Oh no, there was never any lettuce in it to start with. If you ask them, they'll leave out all the vegetables...tastes much better like that."

"So let me get this straight...it's a deep fried taco shell filled with", she says as she picks at the plate trying to identify the food, "greasy hamburger meat, refried beans and cheese?"

"Don't forget the sour cream, guacamole, and salsa", Troy corrects her.

"Hey, there's vegetables in that salsa, you know", Chad points out.

"Oh yeah, man, you're right. Thanks, Chad", and then he turns back to Sharpay, "See, it has vegetables. Oh, and guacamole is made from avocados --- that's a veggie ... or maybe it's a fruit, but anyway, it's got to be healthy because...", and then in unison, Chad and Troy shout, "It's a SALAD!"

Sharpay stands up and announces, "Well, I'm going to the _real_ salad bar to get a_ real _salad. Thank you very much."

The rest of the day goes much better for Sharpay and so she finds herself sitting in seventh period between Taylor and Gabriella. This is AP Calculus, one of the reasons she is in this school in the first place. Sharpay has always excelled in Language Arts, but her love of mathematics is still new and being in this class full of math geeks is a little intimidating. There is very little time for socializing before class starts though. _Do geeks even know how to socialize?_, Sharpay thinks to herself. _Well, Taylor certainly does. _ This new found friendship with Taylor has really caught Sharpay by surprise. She and Troy have double-dated a couple of times with Taylor and Chad since that first time they ran into them at the movies. It's really kind of nice. She's never had a real friendship with a girl. Actually, if she's completely honest with herself, she's never had any real friends, other than Ryan. Ryan... She hasn't talked to him since the big school board decision. He seems to really be enjoying living with their dad. She never told the Boltons, but her dad had threatened to come get her and take her back to Phoenix if things didn't go well here. Phoenix, it seems is more accommodating than Albuquerque.

Back to the class, the first half is all review and Sharpay is feeling very confident since she's been tutoring math all summer. Then, the teacher does something that shocks even the geeks. She gives them a pop quiz on the first day of class. Mrs. White explains that it's just to give her and them an idea of their knowledge base. Sharpay surprises herself because she doesn't have any problems with the quiz. In fact she is one of the first people to finish, right behind Gabriella.

Gabriella...now there's a walking pop quiz. She seems to be spending the entire class (this is the only class they share) not looking at Sharpay. At one point Sharpay even started playing with her mind a little. Sharpay purposely dropped her pencil so it would roll right in front of her. Gabriella quickly picked it up and gave it back to her. It was like she couldn't get it out of her hands fast enough. She mumbled something unintelligible and went right back to ignoring Sharpay. Oh well, life's too short to worry about messed up little girls with manipulative mothers. _Oops, that would be me too_, she thinks.

Being the nerds that they are, everyone is anxiously discussing the pop quiz as they exit the classroom.

"That last question was quite challenging", a tall, skinny guy with thick glasses remarks.

"I agree", a chubby girl replies and then her voice drops to a whisper as she confesses, "I fear I may have made an error on it."

Sharpay is quietly observing the exchange. _ Even if I am in the same class as these nerds, I'll never be like them_, Sharpay silently vows to herself.

Gabriella joins in the discussion. "Well, I think I worked it correctly. It was pretty simple in the end. The answer was zero."

A few heads bob up and down in agreement.

Sharpay can't help herself. "Um, I don't think that's right."

They all turn to look at her in dismay.

"Oh, really?", questions the chubby girl.

Gabriella is once again trying to not look at her.

"Yeah, well, after you square the numerator and take the limit of the whole quotient as it approaches infinity...then the answer has to be infinity, not zero."

"Damn!", exclaims the skinny guy, and he immediately clamps his hand over his mouth when he realizes that he swore.

"She's right", says Taylor with some authority, "That's the answer I got too."

"How did _you_ know how to do that?", questions the chubby girl again.

Sharpay flips her hair back absently as she says to the group, "It's intuitively obvious." Then without saying anything else, she walks away towards Mr. Langford's room to serve her detention

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Later that night as they lay in bed, Sharpay has just finished telling him the details about what happened in Mr. Langford's class.

"I wish you had told me earlier", Troy complains as he starts to massage her lower back as she lies on her side.

"Why, so you could have gotten yourself expelled for punching out a teacher?", she points out the obvious.

He exhales a loud breath before continuing to knead her back. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"At least detention was uneventful. All I had to do was sort magnets and inventory pendulums. Oooo", she sighs in bliss as he hits a particularly tight spot in her back, "that's feels great, but I'm sorry; I'm really not in the mood for that sort of thing after the day I've had."

"Oh no, I wasn't...", Troy starts to say before being cut off.

"Of course, you were. You always are, don't deny it", she orders.

He huffs a little for show, but then readily admits, "Okay, you're right, but I'm okay with it."

Sharpay languidly stretches out and then, pushes herself back again his chest. "Good, because I think the only thing I can handle tonight is a good cuddle."

"Cuddling's good. I like to cuddle", he pulls her up flush against him and inhales deeply to smell an intoxicating mixture of shampoo and something uniquely Sharpay.

"You're a good liar, Troy Bolton, and I love you for it."

TBC

A/N: Has everyone seen that commercial about "Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor"? That's where that line in the cafeteria comes from. "Of course it's healthy, it's a salad!" It's really funny; try googling it.

I made up all that math stuff. So if there's any math majors out there, please don't yell at me.

Begin Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2006; gestation, almost 28 weeks or a solid 6 months.


	34. Ch 33: School Days

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 33: School Days**

The next three weeks go very smoothly and before they know it, it's the Tuesday after Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer. The gang, the new gang, that is, consisting of Troy, Sharpay, Chad and Taylor, have made it a habit of eating lunch together. Troy walks up with a tray brimming over with food and sits it down at the table, joining Sharpay, Chad and Taylor who are already there.

Taylor gawks at his tray in disbelief. "Are you actually going to eat _all_ that food, Troy?"

"Only the unhealthy parts", Sharpay answers for him.

"Ha ha, Shar", Troy says to his girlfriend and then to Taylor explains, "Only half of this is mine, Taylor. The rest is Sharpay's. She has to walk too much as it is, so I decided to start getting both of our meals, myself."

"Aw, that's so sweet", Taylor croons.

Chad, who is sitting closest to Troy, leans over to him and places his hand over his mouth and fake-coughs out, "Whipped", so only Troy can hear him. Troy glares over at him, but doesn't say anything. No one else appears to have heard him.

"Oh, let me show you what I got in the mail last week", Sharpay says as she pulls a thick envelope out of her backpack. "These are the latest pictures from Jada. She just started school at the University of Colorado. Take a look at her daughter; she's so cute."

Sharpay passes the pictures around the table. Taylor and Sharpay ooh and aaw over them, but Chad pretends like he's not interested. The pictures show Jada, an infant, and an older woman in casual photographs around the house, in the yard, and one in church with all of them dressed up with an older man wearing minister robes.

"She's adorable. How old is she now?", Taylor asks.

"About three and a half months. Jada says she's rolling over and she can lift up her head when she's on her stomach."

Chad just rolls his eyes. Unfortunately, Sharpay sees him.

"Chad Danforth, did you just roll your eyes at me when I was talking about my namesake?", she snaps at him.

"Really, she named her kid after _you_?", Chad asks in amazement.

"And what's so wrong with my name?", Sharpay questions as she raises one perfectly arched eyebrow to glare at him.

"Umm, nothing, nothing at all", and then turning to his best friend, he pleads, "Come on, Troy, help me out here, man."

"Oh, no way. You got yourself into this...", Troy says as he starts eating his second chili cheese dog.

Taylor decides to come to the rescue. "Really? I didn't know she named her daughter after you. That's so cool. What's her full name?"

"It's Emma Sharpay."

"That sounds good together. Have you thought of any names for yours, yet?"

"Yeah, how 'bout Sharpette or Sharletta or Sharpie? No, no, forget that last one; it's sounds like you named your kid after a permanent marker", Chad plunges right back into the conversation, oblivious to the danger.

"Very funny, Chad", Sharpay says good-naturedly, "but I don't think so."

"Well, how about you name her after Troy here... how about Troyita or ... or ...oh, this one is good. How about ... Troyella?", Chad announces with a big grin on his face.

"NO!", both Troy and Sharpay shout at the same time, attracting curious looks from the nearby tables.

"Absolutely not!", Sharpay continues, "No way we name our daughter that."

Chad holds up both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, sorry I said anything."

"Look, we already have a name picked out, but we'd like to keep it just between the two of us until she's born. My parents don't even know yet", Troy explains after he's had a chance to recover from hearing that horrible name that Chad suggested.

When lunch ends they all start to walk out together, but Sharpay pulls Chad back to talk to him.

She has a sly, cocky look in her eyes when she says, "Hey Chad, Troy may be_ whipped_..."

_Uh, Oh, she heard me_, thinks Chad to himself.

"...but I'm not just living with Troy's family, I'm living with Troy, in his room, in his bed...", she punctuates each 'in' by jabbing him in his chest with her index finger. "...every...night., so if I was you, I'd lay off the whipped comments from now on." Sharpay walks away from him with a smirk on her lips and hurries to catch up with Troy.

"Dude, you'd better close your mouth before something flies in there", one of the skater guys says to Chad as he walks by. Chad just stands there blankly, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

By the time Sharpay finds Troy and Taylor, they are standing in front of the bulletin boards in the school lobby. Sharpay sees the Drama Club sign-up board for the fall production --- Hairspray. A little sigh escapes her throat as she stares at the poster. It is completely blank; no one has signed up to audition. Sharpay thinks back to the surprising events that caused this.

_The second week of school Mrs. Darbus walks up to Sharpay while she is sitting at the lunch room table eating. _

_"Sharpay! I've just returned from my summer theater production in Seattle. We were held over for two extra weeks. I played the part of the principal in Grease --- quite fulfilling. Anyway, I ramble... I just wanted you to know that I'm so looking forward to hearing of your summer and Ryan's too, of course. I anticipate a glorious senior year from my two stars."_

_Sharpay flushes under the attention. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Darbus, but I won't be participating in drama this year and Ryan isn't even here. He's living with our dad in Arizona."_

_"What!", Mrs. Darbus exclaims loudly, "Not participating in drama? Don't be absurd! There would be no drama club without the Evans twins. Perhaps we could persuade Ryan to come back."_

_"I'm really sorry, but I can't", Sharpay says in a forced whisper. The rest of the cafeteria is watching them with intense interest._

_"Um, that's right, Mrs. Darbus. Sharpay is concentrating on academics this year", Troy explains as he covers Sharpay's hand with his._

_"Bolton", Mrs. Darbus hisses when she notices the gesture, "I should have known you had something to do with this. I will not tolerate fisticuffs in my classroom or in my productions, so I'd advise you, Miss Evans, to stay away from him." _

_"Mrs. Darbus, could we talk outside?", Sharpay asks, still uncomfortable with all the unwanted attention she's receiving._

_"Of course, Sharpay", and then she dramatically sweeps her arm out indicating that Sharpay should precede her._

_Sharpay turns back to Troy and whispers to his concerned look, "I'll be okay."_

_Then, she awkwardly rises from her seat and Mrs. Darbus gets her first unobstructed view of Sharpay. Since Mrs. Darbus was late returning to school, she didn't receive the obligatory 'Sharpay Evans Lecture' from Principal Matsui that the rest of the staff and faculty heard. Therefore, she is finding it difficult to hide the shocked expression on her face. _

_"Miss...Miss Evans!", she exclaims loudly, "You're pregnant!"_

_If everyone wasn't already listening to the conversation, they are now._

_"Yes, ma'am", Sharpay answers quietly, "Could we continue this outside?"_

_"I...I...I'm shocked. How did you allow this to happen? How could you be so foolish, so irresponsible? You had your entire life ahead of you...such a promising career, such talent. I must say, I'm extremely disappointed in you. And even if you did wish to be in drama again, I would strictly forbid it."_

_Sharpay feels like dirt and she hates her reaction, but she can't help it. With every eye in the cafeteria on her, she bursts into tears and bolts from the room._

_Troy is slow to react, too stunned at what's happening to do anything, at first. When he springs out of his seat, Sharpay is already running out of the cafeteria. He starts to run after her, but Mrs. Darbus' next words stop him short._

_"Mr. Bolton, I assume you are the proud papa. When will you young people realize that actions have consequences?"_

_Oh, he wants to tell her what he thinks about her actions, but Sharpay is getting further and further away and he definitely doesn't need another black mark on his record. Instead he chooses to not respond to her at all and continues on out of the room to find Sharpay._

_The entire cafeteria is now staring at Mrs. Darbus with ill disguised contempt. She can feel the tension in the room; all of it directed at her. Suddenly, she hears a sound and snaps out, "Was that a cell phone?" _

_No one bothers to answer her. Mrs. Darbus addresses the entire room in her normal, over-the-top theatrics. "Yes...well...continue on with your meals, then." _

_With that, she sweeps from the room amid whispers of _

_'I can't believe she did that', _

_'...poor Sharpay', _

_'...didn't deserve that', _

_'... Drama Teacher from the Black Lagoon'._

_Troy finds Sharpay in the closest girl's bathroom. She's sitting in the last stall with the door open. He immediately pulls her up and envelopes her in a comforting hug._

_"It's okay, Shar. It's going to be alright."_

_Through crying and half-hiccups, she manages to gasp out, "How could she say that? I love Mrs. Darbus; she's my favorite teacher --- the one I look up to... How could she say that? And in front of everyone."_

_"Shhh, don't worry about that old hag; I've thought for years that she was off her rocker."_

_A small giggle comes out through the tears and her expression grows serious when she asks, "How can I show my face again in this school? I mean everyone heard what she said."_

_"Hey, look at me", he says quietly as he pulls her face up to look at him. "Remember, we're strongest when we're together and that's how we'll face everything --- together."_

_Five minutes later, they exit the bathroom. Sharpay has adequately repaired her makeup and despite the slightly puffy eyes, she is ready to face the world...or so she thinks. They find the entire East High drama club standing in the hallway waiting for them. Sharpay cringes and prepares herself for another assault._

_Standing in front of the group is a nervous looking young man wearing an unfashionable suit jacket and tie. He clears his throat and asks, "Sharpay, remember me?"_

_He does look familiar but Sharpay can't quite place him._

_"My name's Allen; I auditioned for Twinkle Towne last year; Mrs. Darbus said I had a nice tie", then he smiles slightly and adds, "I didn't get the part. Anyway, I did win the role of speaking to you today --- for the whole group. We'd just like you to know that we think what Mrs. Darbus did was disgraceful. And we all agreed that we're not going to be in the drama club this year either. As far as we're concerned, there won't be a drama club or any productions with her around." He takes a deep breath and then adds, "Wow, I remembered the whole speech. See", he holds his hand out to Sharpay, "I wrote little notes on my hand, but I didn't have to use them even once."_

_"Wow", and then, more to herself than them, she says, "I will not cry..._

_"I...I don't know what to say. Thank you. I haven't always been the kindest person..."_

_The drama club members snicker quietly._

_"And I really appreciate what you said, but you don't have to quit drama because of me. I wasn't exactly planning on being in any clubs this year, anyway. My schedule's, sort of, already booked", she adds as she gives her tummy a slight pat._

_There are more nervous snickers._

_"Then, I think it's our decision to make, right guys?" This comes from Cyndra, the 'opera' singer from the try-outs. The entire group agrees wholeheartedly._

_"Well, thanks", Sharpay says again as she dips her head in an uncharacteristically shy gesture._

"Look at that", Troy points to the drama club sign-up board. His voice brings Sharpay back to the present. "They're really doing it. No one's signed up."

"Sometimes the students at this school can really surprise you", Taylor adds. "Hey Sharpay, have you thought of getting involved in other things? You know there's more to do in this school besides drama", Taylor says as she points to the sign-up board next to the drama club. It's the scholastic decathlon team sign-up sheet.

"You're kidding. Me on the nerd team?", Sharpay asks incredulously.

"Hey girlfriend, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but you're at the top of the class in AP Calc and I think that makes you an official nerd. Come on, Sharpay", Taylor urges her, "the first meeting is this afternoon in Mr. Langford's class. Some of our best members graduated last year and we lost a huge knowledge base as a result."

Sharpay, who has actually been seriously thinking of joining her, suddenly interrupts. "Wait a minute! Mr. Langford? Why Mr. Langford's class?"

"Umm, he's the sponsor of the decathlon team."

"But he hates me. He'd never let me on the team."

"Everyone tries out for a spot on the team; it's based on ability, not favoritism. And besides, you've been getting along better with him lately, right?"

"Yeah, but that's all because of you."

Because of Taylor's brilliant mind, life in Mr. Langford's physics class has improved drastically. Taylor has AP Chemistry in the class next to Mr. Langford's. AP Chemistry is two hours long, taking up second and third periods. The students have a break between the first hour of lecture and the second hour of laboratory; so, Taylor has developed a habit of catching Mr. Langford in the hallway and asking him some sort of all-consuming science problem which keeps him there until well after the bell rings. This provides Sharpay with just enough distraction so that she can get to her seat before he enters the class. It has been working for over two weeks now and Taylor's imagination at coming up with interesting topics for Mr. Langford appears to have no end.

"Go ahead Shar, give it a try", Troy urges her.

"Well, I'll think about it, but right now we need to get to class. Come on, Troy."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Welcome new and returning academias. This year promises to be very challenging since we now have a reputation to maintain as city-wide champions", Mr. Langford explains to the approximately fifteen students sitting in desks around the classroom. He looks out over the room in pride, that is, until he spots a small blond sitting in the back of the room.

"Miss Evans? Why are you still here? Physics class is over; you, surprisingly, don't have detention today, so you may leave."

Sitting up a little straighter and with her Ice Queen mask firmly in place, Sharpay replies, "I'm here to be on the decathlon team, Mr. Langford. I understand you have open aud..., I mean try-outs."

"We, on the scholastic decathlon team take our work very seriously. And don't want our team to be a butt of someone's practical joke."

"I assure you, Mr. Langford, that I would be the last person in the world to pull a practical joke."

Taylor clears her throat and adds, "I invited her to join, sir. She's in my AP Calculus class and I think she would be a great asset to the team."

"We'll see...", Mr. Langford says skeptically.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy is sitting on the hood of his car, swinging his legs back and forth, while waiting for Sharpay. Troy rubs his sore arm and tries to shake out the kinks. Basketball season hasn't officially started yet, but Coach has them all doing rigorous conditioning. They alternate between weight training and running wind sprints and today was a weight day. He looks up anxiously when he sees people coming out of the science building. The first person Troy sees is Gabriella and she is walking very quickly and pulling away from the other team members. She is walking straight toward him. They haven't spoken since the 4th of July party and he's just fine with that. But then as she approaches him, she veers off to the left and actually seems to be avoiding him. Troy just sits quietly and follows her with his eyes. That's when he realizes that he's parked right next to Gabriella's car. She quickly hops in and drives off without giving him a second look, or even a first, for that matter.

Troy is staring after her, baffled by her action and doesn't realize Sharpay is there until she is standing there next to him looking in the same direction as he.

"Hi", she says, startling him, "What are we looking at?"

"Oh, Sharpay! You scared me. I didn't hear you come up. It was Gabriella. She just walked up, got in her car and drove off without even looking at me."

Sharpay scoffs, "She's been doing that to me since school started. I don't know what her problem is."

"Maybe she feels threatened by your brilliance", Troy says cheekily. "Speaking of which, how did it go?"

A big grin appears on her face. "I'm in! The first competition is in three weeks."

"Wow! That's awesome, Shar. See I told you, you could do it. So how does all that stuff work? You play different positions, like center, forward, guard..."

"Ha, ha. No, the competition team is only four students. Each one represents a specialty, like Taylor is the science geek --- physics, chemistry, that sort of thing."

"And you're the math geek?"

"Yeah...I never thought it would come to this, you know?", Sharpay says very seriously.

"Come to what?"

"Me...actually referring to myself as a geek", she says with a dramatic sigh.

TBC

A/N: Hoped you liked the dig at the Troyella pairing name. Sometimes I'm just inspired. Sometimes I just think too much.

Begin Date: Tuesday, September 5, 2006; gestation, almost 31 weeks.


	35. Ch 34: Life as a Nerd

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 34: Life as a Nerd**

"Wow, I can't believe how much fun this is", Sharpay whispers to Taylor.

"You don't have to whisper, Sharpay. We all feel that way about school and learning."

Taylor and Sharpay are sitting at a table in Mr. Langford's room quizzing each other with a nerdy version of Trivial Pursuit. It's just one of the methods they use to prepare for their competition. The entire team is at various stations around the room. Some are playing board games like Taylor and Sharpay; some are working together on their laptops; and some are working out problems on one of the many white boards. The first meet is tomorrow and you can practically see the neurons firing inside the brains of everyone in the room.

"Oh believe me, I need to whisper", she says as she glances over at Gabriella who is working with Mr. Langford on a math problem. They are using the white board on the far side of the room.

"Which one of them is still giving you problems?", Taylor asks as they watch Gabriella and the teacher who appear to be having difficulties with the equation.

"Flip a coin", Sharpay shrugs and then adds, "You know, she's not working that problem right. There's a mistake on the first line."

"Well, why don't you tell them? It might win you some brownie points."

"Hell, no. Not with those two. It'll have the opposite effect. Besides, I have faith in Gabriella; she'll figure it out ... eventually", she smirks.

Gabriella steps back from the board and studies the complex set of symbols and numbers with an intense expression on her face. Suddenly, her whole face lights up and she erases the entire first line and begins rewriting it with enthusiasm.

"See, I told you she'd figure it out."

"But how did_ you_ figure it out, Sharpay? You didn't even write down anything and you barely even looked up there."

"I don't know. It just makes sense to me, I guess."

"Wow, I wish I could be like you."

"Oh, give me a break. You're one of the smartest kids in school. You're great in every class; I just happen to have stumbled across a freaky trick I can do in math."

"You are so wrong, Shar. Now that you're focused on something other than...well...yourself, I can just how smart you really are."

"I think you've been hanging around Chad too much. That sounds like something he would say."

Just then, Sharpay grimaces and places her right hand on the small of her back.

"Hey, you okay?", Taylor asks with concern.

"Yeah...", Sharpay moans, "It's just my back. The doctor says when the baby moves just the right way, she hits on a nerve that runs right down my back. It's happening more and more often. But don't worry; as soon as she moves a little, it'll feel better."

"There's nothing you can do about it?"

"A heat pack helps. Troy helps", Sharpay adds as she tries to massage her back.

"He does, does he?", Taylor says with a wicked grin.

Sharpay eyes grow wide. "Not like that! He just has very talented hands."

Taylor is having a hard time stifling her giggles.

"You know you have a really dirty mind for someone who's supposed to be concentrating on academic pursuits."

"Miss Evans! Social hour is after our meeting", Mr. Langford scolds as he walks up to their table.

"Sorry, Mr. Langford", Taylor says, "We just finished the game; Sharpay won, by the way."

"Oh goody", he says sarcastically, "Then, I guess it's your turn, Miss Evans."

"My turn?", Sharpay asks with trepidation, "My turn for what?"

"Your turn on the white board", he explains, "All of the team's math whizzes need to show me that they can work a complete and correct problem on the board. It's different from working it on a piece of paper."

With that he walks off, expecting her to follow.

Sharpay rises stiffly from the chair with her hand still on her lower back. Taylor leans over and whispers, so only Sharpay can hear. "Don't worry, you've been working everyone else's problems in your head all day. This will be a piece of cake."

"Miss Evans! Are you coming or do you required another_ potty break_?" Mr. Langford is standing impatiently by the board.

"Coming, sir", then she whispers back to Taylor, "You got me into this, you know. You owe me so big."

"Okay, Miss Evans. Here's your problem", Mr. Langford says as he begins to copy the problem onto the board.

∫ _eⁿ_dn

"There you go, Miss Evans."

Sharpay just stands there with a stunned look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Langford, but I've never even seen a problem like this before. I...I mean I know it's a integral of some sort, but we haven't even studied those yet."

"Allow me to help you. It's the integral of the _e_ raised to the n power. You have two minutes, starting ... now!"

Taylor started walking across the room when he first finished the problem and now she tries to come to Sharpay's defense.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Langford, but that problem is much more difficult than any of the others."

"Surely not, ... for our math prodigy", Mr. Langford says snidely.

_I swear, South High is sounding better and better_, Sharpay thinks to herself.

With a defeated look on her face, Sharpay puts the marker back in its holder and steps back.

"I'm sorry; I don't know how to work this; I can't do it."

"Is that your final answer?", Mr. Langford asks with glee.

Sharpay simply nods silently and hobbles over to the closest seat. The pain in her back has radiated down into her leg, exacerbated, no doubt by the tension she is feeling in her entire body.

"Good, well now that that's over... I have compiled the list of students who will represent us tomorrow at our first meet of the year. Of course the first spot goes to your team captain, Taylor McKessie who will handle applied sciences, language arts and literature --- Brenden Piefer, history --- Martha Cox, and mathematics --- Gabriella Montez."

A series of polite congratulations are heard around the room. Mr. Langford clears his throat signaling that he is not finished.

"Furthermore, our alternates will be: Team captain --- Gabriella Montez, language arts and literature --- Sarah McLaughlin, history --- Scott Kranak, and finally, mathematics", he pauses to take a deep breath before saying with a sigh, "--- Sharpay Evans.

"Well, that's all for today. Everyone make sure you have a good night's sleep for tomorrow's competition. Oh, and everyone is required to attend the competition even if you are an alternate. Failure to do so will mean automatic expulsion from the team. Good day to you."

Sharpay is still limping slightly when she walks quickly from of the classroom. Taylor hurries to

catch up with her.

"Sharpay, wait up", Taylor calls out.

Sharpay slows reluctantly and waits for her friend.

"Mr. Langford is a jerk and everyone knows it", Taylor tells her.

They've just made it out to the parking lot when Sharpay lets out a defeated sigh.

"Troy's not here yet. That means he's still in the gym." She slumps down on a nearby bench. "I'm really not up to going in there right now."

Taylor quietly joins her on the bench. "You haven't said anything about what Langford did to you. How are you feeling?"

"Honestly? I feel like ... like I don't know why I'm trying so hard. I mean it just seems like everyone expects me to fail. Maybe I should fulfill those expectations and just give up."

"Please don't", comes a whispered voice. Not from Taylor, but from Gabriella who has silently walked up behind them.

"Well, well, well, are you sure you want to talk to me?", Sharpay says bitterly, "You know, according to your mom, I'm might be contagious. You wouldn't want to wake up in the morning and find yourself seven months pregnant."

"I'm sorry...I deserved that", Gabriella says quietly. She has walked around the bench to face Sharpay now. "But it's not what you think."

Sharpay simply crosses her arms in front of her defensively and stares at the ground near Gabriella's feet.

"It's just...the reason I haven't been talking to you...It's not because my mom said not too. It's...it's because I'm ashamed of what she said and that I didn't stand up for you more. You must hate me. I'm so very sorry."

Sharpay slowly looks up to see Gabriella standing there pitifully with tears streaming down her cheeks.

_Oh heck, why'd she have to go and start crying?_

Aloud, Sharpay sighs, stands up and wraps her arms around the sobbing girl. She pulls her as close as her protruding stomach will allow and Gabriella responds by latching on for dear-life.

Then Sharpay murmurs to her, "It's okay, Gabriella. I don't hate you. And I understand, sort of...I mean I don't exactly have the most level-headed mother in the world either. I'd really like for us to get along, if that's possible."

While still holding onto her tightly, Gabriella responds excitedly, "Oh, that would be wond... oh my, is that what I think it is? Is that the baby kicking within?"

Gabriella steps back from her, a little dismayed.

Sharpay looks apologetic when she says as she rubs her tummy, "Um, yeah. I guess she didn't want to miss out on anything ... the little scene stealer."

Gabriella holds her hand out and approaches Sharpay cautiously. "May I?", she asks, indicating that she wants to feel the baby kick.

Sharpay tips her head to the side graciously and replies, "Of course, here let me show you where you can feel her best." With that, Sharpay takes Gabriella's hand and guides it to where the child is most active.

"Oh, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen", Taylor gasps through her tears.

The two other girls look over at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry; I just get overly emotional at happy endings...this is a happy ending, right?"

"I think it's just the start", Sharpay says.

"...of something new?", Gabriella suggests with a grin.

"Oh, don't go there, sister", Sharpay warns playfully.

"But seriously, Sharpay, you can't quit", Gabriella tells her as they all sit back down.

All three of them are sniffing and Sharpay opens her backpack and passes out some tissues. Due to her own uncontrollable emotions of late, she's taken to carrying them with her at all times.

"What's the point? Langford's never going to let me compete", Sharpay says as she dabs at her eyes.

"Something will work out", Gabriella says cryptically.

Troy and Chad are coming out of the gymnasium and Troy is the first one to see Sharpay, Gabriella and Taylor sitting together. They appear to be crying and laughing and wiping their eyes all at the same time.

"Hey Chad, take a look at that", Troy points out to his friend as they walk closer to the girls. "There's your girlfriend, my girlfriend, and my old girlfriend, sitting together crying and laughing. You think we should be nervous?"

"I think we should run, but we probably won't get away with it."

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"So what do you think I should do?", Sharpay asks worriedly.

Troy and Sharpay are lying spooned together in his (their) bed and are still connected in that most intimate of ways. His hand is stroking her stomach trying half-heartedly to sooth the anxious kicking.

"I think she likes this as much as we do", Troy mumbles sleepily.

"That's sick, Troy Bolton", Sharpay hisses as she pushes his hand off. "And back to my question --- what do you think I should do?", Sharpay asks again.

"'Bout what?", he mumbles. Troy is just starting to nod off, tired after the long day and sated after their most recent activities.

"About what we were talking about before you started distracting me."

"Ummm..."

Sharpay pulls away from him and struggles awkwardly to sit up in the bed. She quickly adjusts the sheets to cover herself. Lately, she has started to become more and more self-conscious of the weight she's gained and prefers to be covered when she's around him.

"You weren't even listening to me, were you?", she says as the volume of her voice rises.

"Of course I was, but I got all these pheromones floating around in me, so it's hard to concentrate; they make me what to sleep."

"That's endorphins, you idiot! And that's what gets released when you ... complete; it's a different chemical that makes you sleepy --- something with a really long name", she snaps out at him.

"Oh...well, then it's that thing and it's made me really sleepy", he replies lamely and he rolls onto his back and stretches lazily.

"Are you going to help me with my problem or not?" She is starting to get really angry with him.

"Hmmm?"

Sharpay makes her way over to the edge of the bed and grab her oversized sleeping shirt and pulls it on. Then, she hefts herself to a standing position as she turns around to shout at him. "All you ever want to do with me is have sex! We never talk anymore!"

"Oh Sharpay, you know that's not true. We talk...alot. Now come back to bed ... please?", he begs as he holds out his hand to her.

"OH! You make me so ... I'm going to get some ice cream", she exclaims as she grabs a robe and stalks out of the room.

If Troy has learned anything over the past few months, it's when to leave Sharpay alone. This is one of those times. Therefore, he rolls back over in the bed and is asleep within two minutes.

Sharpay makes a detour to the bathroom before heading to the kitchen. She is still fuming when she reaches the kitchen and is surprised to see the light already on. She finds Lisa Bolton standing with the freezer door open and the carton of ice cream in her hand.

"Sharpay, could you get out two bowls? I've got the spoons", Lisa tells her as if it's the most natural thing in the world to be standing in the kitchen at 12:45 in the morning.

"Okay", she mumbles. Walking in on this surreal scene has deflated her anger, so she numbly takes out the bowls and meets Mrs. Bolton at the table.

"You heard us again, didn't you?", Sharpay asks quietly as the older woman scoops out the ice cream for both of them.

"Well... There's an art to having a quiet fight. You'll learn that over time, dear."

"Oh Mom, he doesn't seem to listen to me anymore. All he ever wants to do is ..."

However before she can finish, Lisa interrupts.

"I heard that part too. Our walls aren't very well insulated."

"Oh God, this is so embarrassing... Um, did Coach Bolton hear us too?"

"No, don't worry. He's been asleep for hours."

Sharpay breathes a sigh of relief as she starts to eat her ice cream.

"What can I do about Troy?"

"That's a tough one. Men ... boys ... they're not that different. But right now, Troy's being driven almost exclusively by his hormones. They tells him when to eat, when to sleep, when to ...", Lisa looks up from her bowl as a wry smile on her face. "Oh, you get it, right?"

"But I don't understand how he can still ... I mean ... I'm so ... fat and unattractive and fat. And I'm trying really hard not too, but I'm actually starting to waddle."

"Oh honey, don't ever think like that. You don't understand how you look in Troy's eyes. He loves you so very much and you could never look anything but beautiful to him. Plus, you are beautiful. Sharpay, you don't see herself like we do. You have new life growing inside you and there's nothing more beautiful than that."

"I don't feel very beautiful."

"Well, you are and Troy, obviously, thinks so too."

"Thanks, Mom. You're so easy to talk to." It feels so good to be able to talk like this to her; Lisa truly has taken on the role of Sharpay's mother --- well, the role of a good mother. Sharpay never had heart-to-heart talks with Judith. The closest they ever came to bonding was to go shopping for new clothes.

"I know ... everyone says that. I sometimes think I should hang up a shingle and start my own practice."

"Mom? Could I ask your opinion about something else?", Sharpay asks between bites.

"Of course, honey. What is it?"

Sharpay proceeds to tell her about the events of the day and her problems with Mr. Langford.

"So what should I do? He's never going to let me on the team. He'll always come up with some excuse to keep me off", Sharpay finishes with disgust as she throws her spoon into the empty bowl.

"Don't quit, Sharpay. That's what he wants you to do. Hang in there. Even if you're a bench warmer for the entire season. Not many people know this, but Jack Bolton, the MVP of East High School for 1980 and 1981, was a complete bench warmer for the entire season of his sophomore year."

"Wow, you're kidding. How'd he finally make it to first string?"

"He worked and worked and worked and finally in his junior year, someone noticed."

Sharpay sighs again, "I do work and he still hates me." She takes a deep breath and continues, "Oh well, I've been Gabriella's understudy before, I guess I can do it again."

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"But Mr. Langford, Sharpay's better than I am. You should see her in AP Calculus; she's at the top of the class", Gabriella says as she pleads her case in front of Mr. Langford.

The two of them are standing in the studio of the local television station that broadcasts the meet on Saturday afternoons. Gabriella has been trying to convince him for the past five minutes and he's refusing to budge.

"No, Gabriella. I've already seated the team and that decision is final. Now, they're going to start soon, so you'd best go have a seat."

Gabriella sits down with a huff next to Taylor behind a long table with microphones set on it.

"Since you're sitting down instead of Sharpay, I take it you couldn't convince him", Taylor asks her friend as she glances out into the audience where Sharpay is sitting with Troy.

"No, I just don't understand why he hates her so much."

"I read somewhere that adults sometimes have problems dealing with teenage sexuality and prefer to just ignore it and then, when someone like Sharpay shows up and is the embodiment of that sexuality, they have problems dealing with it", Brenden Piefer tells them as he leans over from his position as the arts and literature authority.

The two girls just stare at him silently.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to the 34th year of _The Knowledge Bowl_. Today we have East High School versus Del Norte High School. Representing East High is ..."

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"I can't believe we lost ... man, those guys were tough", Chad tells the group as they sit at a local Denny's after a staggering defeat to Del Norte High. "I mean, they were like NBA tough and you were like a high school varsity team."

"Alright already, Chad. We get it!", Taylor tells him in frustration.

"Sorry...", he apologizes. He sounds like a scolded little boy and gets a sad puppy dog look in his eyes.

"I really messed up", Gabriella confesses sadly. She's playing with her omelet and moving it around on the plate, but not really eating anything.

"No you didn't. Those were really tough questions", Sharpay assures her.

"No, I wasn't concentrating. I was still so angry with Mr. Langford that I wasn't doing my best."

"Well hey, the next big meet is in four weeks and we'll spend all that time getting you prepped and then we'll sweep the floor with them, okay?", Sharpay suggests to her friend as she tries to get her to look her in the eye.

Still staring down at the plate, Gabriella reluctantly agrees. Suddenly, they hear a horn beep outside the restaurant.

"Oh! That's my mom, I've got to go before she sees...", Gabriella starts as she looks up at Sharpay with an embarrassed look on her face.

"It's fine...just go. Remember me...sixteen years of wacky momdom, so I understand", Sharpay reassures her as Gabriella runs out.

TBC

Start date: Friday, September 29, 2006 (34 weeks)

A/N: There's been some confusion about when she's due and how far along she is, etc. So I thought I'd try to explain it all here. First of all, I must admit that I didn't know any of this stuff until I started researching this story. I found this pregnancy calculator online to figure out when she was due. Here goes, and remember I didn't make up any of this.

Everyone thinks of a pregnancy lasting 9 months, but doctors count a pregnancy as lasting 40 weeks, which if you look at a calendar sounds more like 10 months, but is actually 9 months, 3 weeks (I counted it, I know, I'm weird) since there's really not exactly 4 weeks in a month. Confused? Just wait.

Now here's the kicker. The start of a woman's pregnancy, according to medical professionals, is the 1st day of her last regular menstrual cycle. This is, at least, a full two weeks before she has even done the deed.

So here's the scoop, the 1st day of Sharpay's last normal cycle in this story is Feb 1. And according to the handy-dandy pregger calculator, her due date is Nov 8. But you know...babies don't read the books and haven't been to medical school, so they don't always follow all the rules. Hint! Hint!

A/N 2: My guy is a true unadulterated geek (but a cute and sexy one). Anyway, he gave me the problem for Sharpay to solve. His thinking is that by the end of their senior year in AP Calc they should be able to solve it, but not at the beginning of the year. But if that's way off and it's too easy, tell me and I'll have him come up with another one. Btw, the answer to that problem is _eⁿ_ + C, according to my cute geek. Hey, should I be insulted that he won't read my fic? He says it's too girlie.


	36. Ch 35: Helloooo, Baby! part 1

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 35: Helloooo, Baby! part 1**

Troy is awakened by a sharp inhale and a gasp from Sharpay.

"Shar", he asks with sleepy concern, "You okay?"

Silence.

"Shar? You're scaring me. Are you okay?", Troy asks anxiously, now that he's fully awake.

"I'm fine", she gasps out.

"You don't sound fine. Is ... is it time?"

"Of course not", she replies, much more relaxed, "I've still got two weeks, at least; the doctor said so. My last appointment was only two days ago and nothing was happening then. It was just my damn back, okay?" She heaves herself out of bed and announces, "See it's already better. I told you it was nothing."

"Want me to massage it for you?", Troy suggests huskily.

"Like _that's_ gonna happen", she says sarcastically. "I think a hot shower would help me more." Sharpay pulls on her robe and starts towards the door; then, she stops and looks back at him. "Want to join me?"

"No", Troy whines in his little boy voice, "And don't worry about running out all the hot water, I'll be taking a cold shower, anyway."

Sharpay comes back to the bed and says in her little girl voice, "Oh, the poor baby. He's feeling neglected because he's not getting enough nummies."

"It's not funny", Troy pouts, "I mean I knew about the six weeks after, but no one told me about the four weeks before."

"Troy Bolton, you selfish SOB! You think I like this anymore than you do", Sharpay rants as she defiantly puts her hands on her hips. "I'm the one who's the beached whale here, remember? And besides, before we got together, you had gone seventeen years without any, so what's ten or twelve weeks, compared to that?"

"_Twelve?_", Troy asks nervously, "That's three months. Who said anything about_ three months_?" The pitch of his voice is getting higher and higher as he talks.

"Aaah!", Sharpay groans out her answer, as her hand flies to her lower back.

"Is that all you have to say?", Troy asks before actually looking at her. When she doesn't respond he looks up and notices the pained expression on her face. "Shar? What's happening? Talk to me."

"Back", she grunts out as she tries to sit back down on the edge of the bed.

Troy automatically moves behind her and starts kneading the tight muscles in her lower back. Sharpay groans out when he hits just the right spot.

"God, you're good at this. You sure you want to play basketball for a living? Because I think you'd make one heck of a masseur. Ooooo, magic fingers..."

"Damn it, Sharpay, if you don't stop groaning like that, I'm gonna be forced to jump you", Troy whispers into her ear.

Sharpay pulls away from him and stands up as quickly and she can. "That's good. You fixed it. Thanks", she snaps out in a quick, clipped voice. "Um...I've got to get in the shower now or we're never going to make it to the studio in time."

Troy sighs dramatically and flops back down on the bed. "I don't know why you even care so much anyway. That jerk, Mr. Langford, is never going to let you compete on the team."

"I'm doing it for Gabriella. We've been practicing together for almost a full month. I can't let her down. You know I'm really surprised at just how nice she is, now that I've gotten to know her. I can, almost, understand what you saw in her", Sharpay comments casually, but her eyes are watching Troy intently. When he says nothing, she continues with, "Cue! Bolton. That's your cue."

"My what?"

"I just said that I like your ex-girlfriend and that I understand how you could have been drawn to her. That's your cue to say, 'Gabi may be nice, but she's nothing compared to you, Shar. You're the love of my life.'"

"Well, you are", Troy agrees.

"I know that, but sometimes, a girl would like to hear it, okay?"

"But you just did hear it, didn't you?", Troy says, idiotically.

"It doesn't count if I'm the one who's saying it!" With that, she turns and stomps out of the room in a huff.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a long day", Troy groans as he pulls the pillow over his head so he can scream into it --- a very manly scream, of course.

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Troy and Sharpay arrive at the local television station with little time to spare; but since Sharpay isn't on the panel, it's not that important. As they enter the studio where _The Knowledge Bowl_ is filmed, Taylor runs up to them in a panic.

"Sharpay! Troy! Have either of you seen Gabriella?", she asks frantically.

"No, Taylor. What's going on?", Sharpay asks as she casts a worried glance to Troy.

"She's not here yet and Mr. Langford is about to have a cow."

"Well, I'm sure ...", Sharpay starts before they are interrupted by the girl in question rushing into the studio in a harried state.

She goes directly to Mr. Langford and starts motioning wildly. Mr. Langford gets a troubled expression on his face and motions for Taylor to join them.

"Looks like we have a big problem, Taylor", Mr. Langford announces. "Gabriella has laryngitis; we're going to have to forfeit the match."

"But what about Sharpay?", Taylor asks him.

"That's out of the question. We'll forfeit; I'll go inform LaCueva's sponsor."

"No! Don't do it, Mr. Langford. Sharpay is Gabriella's alternate. You said so yourself; she's done everything you've asked and not complained at all. And if the truth be told, she's been tutoring Gabriella for the last month. Let her do this. She deserves it", Taylor pleads.

"She presents a bad image for our school", Mr. Langford says harshly. "Surely, you can see that."

"What I see is that you're going to throw this match because of some outdated view of teen sexuality. Teenagers have been having sex and getting pregnant for hundreds, thousands of years and ignoring it isn't going to make it go away."

"I don't want to reward bad behavior, Miss McKessie."

"I'm not asking you to give her a medal for getting knocked-up, Mr. Langford. I'm asking you to allow her to compete on a team to which she has earned to right to be a member!", Taylor says passionately. "And if you don't ... I really don't think there will be a team to compete next month. We'll all walk."

"Are you threatening me, Miss McKessie?"

"No, sir. I'm just giving you a few home truths, is all."

He takes a deep breath and glances over at Sharpay who is sitting on the first row in the audience with Troy. They are both watching him intently, but are too far away to have heard anything.

"Okay, but understand this... She'll be seated when we go on the air and she will not rise at all while the camera is rolling."

"Agreed", Taylor says with a big smile on her face.

Mr. Langford stomps off to inform the opposing team of the change in line-up. Then, Taylor turns to Gabriella and drags her off to the ladies room. Gabriella emits a little squeak, but doesn't say anything. Once Taylor has checked the stall to ensure that they are alone, she looks at Gabriella with a serious expression on her face.

"Alright Gabriella, I'm about to attempt my most difficult challenge in my high school career."

Gabriella looks at her with a puzzled look.

"I'm about to try to convince a girl who is, like, twenty months pregnant to sit in front of a live audience and help win a competition for a school of which truly half of the student body hates her."

Gabriella nods in agreement.

"So I have to know. Is this on the up and up? Are you really and truly sick?", Taylor asks sincerely.

"Oh absolutely", Gabriella says and then, clamps her hand over her mouth when she realizes that she said something.

A huge grin comes over Taylor's face and she pulls Gabriella into a hug. "That's what I thought."

They both leave the restroom and walk slowly over to where Troy and Sharpay are still sitting.

"Hi, guys. Are you ready? They're about to start; you two better get up there", Sharpay says cheerfully as she, at the same time, shifts in her seat to try and find a more comfortable position.

"There's a problem, Shar", Taylor starts, but is interrupted by Mr. Langford who walks over with his brows knitted in worry.

He is speaking rapidly when he says in a clipped voice, "Okay, I've talked to the LaCueva sponsor and the show's producer and they've agreed to the substitution on the following conditions: first, that she is seated before the show goes on the air and second, she stays seated as long as the camera is rolling. Is that understood, Miss Evans?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", Sharpay replies confusedly.

"What?! What have you been doing, Miss McKessie, chatting about the weather?", Mr. Langford asks as he redirects his anger towards Taylor.

"We just walked up, sir. I haven't had a chance to explain the situation to her."

"Well, then, allow me", Mr. Langford says with a sweeping gesture of his arm. "Miss Montez is incapacitated; therefore, Miss Evans, as her alternate, you will be replacing her for this meet."

"Me?", Sharpay asks in a high-pitched, nervous tone.

"Yeeesss, you", Mr. Langford answers her back, imitating her voice.

"We really need you, Sharpay", Taylor steps forward to convince her friend, "Gabriella has laryngitis; she can't talk. Without your help, we'll have to forfeit the match. ... Please?"

"Well, I ...", Sharpay starts, but is interrupted.

At that point a short, balding man wearing a headset runs onto the middle of the set and shouts out, "Five minutes, people! All contestants should take their seats now!"

"Sharpay ... ", Taylor pleads.

Gabriella pleads with her eyes.

"Go for it, Shar. Show them what your made of", Troy encourages.

"Well?", Mr. Langford says in his own uniquely boring voice.

"Okay, I'll do it", Sharpay finally announces. Then, she tries to rise from her seat, but flops right back down. "Sorry, low seats."

Troy hops up and helps pull her up.

"By all that's holy ...", Mr. Langford mumbles as he walks away.

After all the contestants are seated and the show is about to go on the air, Troy gives her a quick hug and says encouragingly, "Break a leg!" Then, he runs back to his seat.

"Oh no", Sharpay moans.

"What's wrong? You aren't in labor, are you?", Martha asks.

"No, of course not. It's just, he said, 'Break a leg'. That's only for theater, anywhere else, it's considered bad luck."

"Well", Taylor says as she adjusts her microphone, "I don't believe in luck. We're going to win because of our knowledge and hard work."

"I hope you're right", Sharpay says and then, groans again. She bites her bottom lip to stifle a gasp. She's just experience the worst pain of her life radiating from the front of her belly to her lower back. This is definitely not her normal backache and this is definitely not a good sign.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to the 34th year of _The Knowledge Bowl_. Today we have East High School versus LaCueva High School. Representing East High is ..."

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Forty-five minutes into the one and a half hour meet, East High is leading LaCueva by fifty points. Sharpay has answered every mathematics question perfectly. In fact the entire team is doing well and each one is pulling his own weight. They have a five minute break now at the mid-way point and Troy runs up to Sharpay as soon as the producer announces they're no longer on the air.

He comes up behind her and gives her a big hug as he says encouragingly, "Shar, you're doing great."

As soon as he touches her stomach, he knows something's wrong. "My God, Sharpay, you're hard as a rock." Then, he looks up at her face and sees her eyes squeezed shut and her face ashen. "Oh no, you're in labor, aren't you?"

Taylor, who is the only other person still sitting at the desk, exclaims loudly, "She's what?"

"Sssshh!", Sharpay hisses, "I'm fine. My back always hurts. I've told you about that, Taylor. This is no different."

"Your stomach isn't normally as hard as steel and you don't usually look like you're about to throw up, Sharpay", Troy whispers back at her.

Sharpay takes a deep breath and meets Troy's eyes. "Look ... maybe, and just maybe, mind you, this is early labor. If that's what this is, then it could take hours before it becomes active labor and then, hours more after that before the baby's born. Even if we went to the hospital right now, they'd probably just send me home. At least this gives me something else to concentrate on, okay?"

"I don't like it", Troy grumbles.

"Me, either", Taylor agrees.

"Good. Well, now that that's settled, will one of you help me up so I can go to the bathroom before this thing starts up again?", Sharpay announces to an exasperated Troy and Taylor, who both dutifully take an arm and help her rise.

"I'll let you know if it becomes too much; I promise", Sharpay tells Troy as she settles back down after returning from the ladies room.

"Good and I'll be watching you closely."

"And in 5, 4, ... cue lights, cue camera, ... rolling!"

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Jack Bolton is lazily lying on the sofa with the television remote control in his hand. He is avidly pursuing the most treasured Saturday afternoon hobby for American males --- the art of watching twenty different television programs simultaneously by spending no more than ten seconds on any one channel at any one time. Lisa is in the kitchen cleaning up from their lunch and trying to avoid the headache she always gets when she tries to watch TV with her husband.

His finger slips and he accidentally punches in the numbers for the Albuquerque Public School channel. This is a channel he would never willing watch on purpose and they're his employers. Jack stops long enough to realize that it's East High's academia team on the screen.

"Hey, Lis'. Come take a look at this. It's the scholastic decathlon meet and Sharpay's on the panel, but I don't see Gabriella."

"I'll be there in a sec", she calls from the other room.

"Does she look funny to you?", Jack questions when his wife enters the room.

Lisa is still drying her hands on a dish towel as she walks up to the television. She looks up at the screen and exclaims loudly, "Holy shit, Jack! Get the car! She's in labor!"

"Lisa Ann Bolton!", Jack chastises his wife's vulgar language.

"Oh hell, Jack. I'll put two quarters in the damn Jar ... three quarters in the ... Jar when we get back. Right now, we need to get to that studio!"

Before Jack Bolton took his current job as Physical Education instructor and basketball coach at East High School, he was an assistant coach in the NBA. This required frequent moves for him and Lisa and, apparently, the frequent use of four letter words. After Troy was born, the family settled down in Albuquerque, which was both his and Lisa's hometown, and he found the job at East High. The one thing that didn't change was Jack's bad language.

When Troy was eighteen months old, he said his first complete sentence, 'Damn doggie, you go out!' After Lisa Bolton, dutifully wrote down this phrase in Troy's baby book, after all it was his first sentence, she invented the Swear Jar.

For every profane word uttered in the house, the offender would be required to put a quarter in the Swear Jar. The first year that the Jar was in operation, that money funded the family's entire summer vacation. Fortunately, as the years continued, deposits to the jar became less and less. This is the first time since its inception that Lisa has ever been the offender.

Lisa and Jack arrive at the studio in record time and rush in, fully expecting mass turmoil with at least one person running around trying to boil water. Instead, they find a quiet audience watching equally quiet contestants answer mind-boggling questions for no other reason than to know they can.

They quickly find Troy and sit down on either side of him. He is obviously surprised to see them, but before he can say anything, Lisa leans over and whispers to Troy, "How long has she been in labor, Troy?"

"What!?", he whispers back, "How'd you know?"

"Just answer the question."

"I don't know. I noticed it about thirty minutes ago, but I think it's been going on for much longer. Sharpay refuses to leave though. She says she'll know when it's time", Troy whispers out the side of his mouth while continuing to watch Sharpay.

"I hope she'll be alright. She doesn't look good", Lisa comments as she directs her attention to the panel.

Troy checks the time on the large count-down clock.

"There's only fifteen more minutes left. I think she'll make it."

"I hope your right."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

At the East High table Sharpay emits a low moan and Taylor snaps her head over immediately. Luckily, it's during a commercial break.

"That's less than five minutes since the last one, Sharpay. I think we should tell someone."

"N...no", she responds through gritted teeth, "I'm NOT quitting. That's just what he wants." She, of course, is referring to Mr. Langford who has been watching her like a hawk since this second half started. "There ...", she says while relaxing, "it's over. See, I told you I was fine."

"Hey guys?", Martha says as she leans over, "Is there something the rest of us should know about?"

"No!", Sharpay snaps immediately.

"Yes!", Taylor says, overruling her, "Sharpay's in labor."

"What!?", the rest of the panel exclaim simultaneously.

"And we're back from commercial in 5, 4, ..."

And so the final segment of _The Knowledge Bowl _begins with the camera focused on East High's pride and joy: a worried looking, Taylor McKessie; a falsely smiling, Sharpay Evans; and Martha Cox and Brendan Piefer with identical looks of pure horror on their faces and their mouths hanging wide open for the whole world to see.

The final fifteen minutes go well for both sides and the score is tied as the clock runs out.

"Now for the tie-breaker question. The rules are a little different here. You will have fifteen seconds to discuss the question amongst yourselves and then, one member will give your final answer. First up is LaCueva High and the category is", the moderator announces, dramatically, as he pulls a card from a black box on the podium, "Popular Culture."

Groans are heard from both sides.

"She once described herself as a 'muse and critic' to her brother Gianni. Who is this famous woman? LaCueva?"

And the timer starts ticking as the LaCueva team starts frantically discussing the question.

Ding

"Your answer, please?"

The LaCueva team captain fumbles with the microphone and clears his voice before answering with a nervous, squeaky voice, "Um, Lucretia Borgia?"

"I'm sorry, but that is incorrect. East High? You have fifteen seconds..."

Taylor turns to her team mates to discuss the question and notices that Sharpay's eyes are closed in deep concentration again.

"Oh no, Sharpay?" She doesn't respond. so Taylor directs the question to the other two members, "Does anyone have any idea?"

"I thought it was Borgia, too", Brenden admits.

"Sharpay?...", Taylor pleads.

Her eyes are still screwed shut.

Ding

"East High? Your answer, please?"

Taylor reaches for the microphone and is just about to take a wild guess at the answer, when Sharpay's eyes suddenly snap open and she grabs the microphone from Taylor and announces breathlessly, "Donatella Versace." Then, she takes a deep cleansing breath and adds, "I met her once, nice lady, much shorter than she looks on TV."

"That is ... correct! Congratulations, East High is the winner with a final score of 225 is East High. And please be sure and join us next week when the competing schools will be ..."

The entire team turns to hug Sharpay and in different circumstances would probably have heaved her up on their shoulders for a celebratory parade around the studio.

Mrs. Bolton pushes everyone out to the way to make her way to her defacto daughter's side. She reaches down and takes hold of one of Sharpay's hands as their eyes meet.

"Oh, Mom. I'm so glad you're here. This really ... hurts", Sharpay gasps out as another contraction, (yep, pretty sure that's what they are now), hits her.

"I know it does, baby. We brought your bag; it's in our car. Come on, Sharpay, let's get you to the hospital", Lisa says wisely.

"Excuse me", says a deep formal voice.

Lisa on Sharpay's right side, Troy on Sharpay's left side, and Sharpay herself, all look up to see Mr. Langford standing awkwardly on the other side of the table.

"I ... just wanted to say thank you, Miss Evans. You're a real team player and you did great."

"Um, you're welcome, Mr. Langford."

"I must admit I was worried for you. A couple of times I thought I was going to have to call the match, but I'm glad you got to stay and finish it. And I look forward to your return to school in six or eight weeks or so", Mr. Langford says knowingly.

A genuine smile comes over Sharpay and she offers him her hand, which he graciously accepts.

"Thank you, Mr. Langford. And don't worry; I will be back. I'm not a quitter."

"I believe you, Sharpay", Mr. Langford says sincerely and using her given name for the first time.

Jack Bolton runs onto the stage and announces excitedly, "Okay, I've pulled the car around to the front, so let's go have us a baby!"

The three Boltons pack Sharpay into the car and zoom off for the hospital. The rest of the decathlon team are still standing on the sidewalk. Now that excitement is over, they aren't sure what to do. Just then, Chad drives up and hops out of his car.

"Hey, Taylor. Sorry I'm a little late, but my car had a flat", Chad says meekly since he missed his girlfriend's entire competition. He walks up to give her a hug and Taylor jumps violently away from him. "Whoa", Chad responds indignantly, "who got your panties in a wad?"

She looks at him with fire in her eyes. "I've just spent the last hour watching a friend of mine in unbearable pain."

"What?"

"Sharpay's in labor. The Boltons and Troy just took her to the hospital."

"Ohhh ... but what does that have to do with me?", Chad asks with a confused expression on his face.

"She was in some serious pain, Chad. And it was caused by your best buddy, Troy."

"Ohhh ... so now all men are the enemy."

"You got it, but I'm not sure the two of you qualify as men."

TBC

Start date: Saturday, October 28, 2006 (38 weeks)

Okay, this was taking too long and I really wanted to post before I leave Friday afternoon for camping with the girl scouts (Yippee). It really is going to be fun, but I'm going to miss the dance-along on Saturday night. Think of me when you're sitting in your cozy air conditioned house watching Troy's gorgeous blue eyes. Think of me, sleeping on the hard ground with no flush toilets and no potable water. Ugh! And ... and no Internet.

Anyway, I recently read in Stessa's Naturalized Love story (wonderful story, BTW; great idea for a plot, LOL). She said she wouldn't put us through the whole birth thing and just went straight from water breaking at the end of one chapter to holding baby at the beginning of the next. Well ... no such luck with me. I've read account after account of all these birth stories on the Internet plus when I was 16, my mom's friend owned this maternity shop and somehow got me a job there --- worst summer of my life. Every blasted day that woman (the owner) would recount her birthing story to anyone who would listen ... Made me want to scream. But I learned a very important lesson that summer ... never, ever ask a woman when she's due unless you are ABSOLUTELY positive that she is the one who's pregnant. Embarrassed myself many times with that one.

My, but I'm rambling ... so look forward in the next chapter to every single clique, every thing you've ever heard happen or thought couldn't happen because I'm going to try and cover it all.

Oh and before anyone asks, 38 weeks is still considered full term, so don't worry about the baby being early.

A/N: I want to thank 'the road of damascus' for her review of my Why story. She's the one who suggested a pouty Troy who's mad about not getting enough nummies (Sharpay's word, not mine). That's pretty good, isn't it? A suggestion for a second story while writing an absolutely fabulous review for another.

A/N 2: Versace is, of course, the famous Italian clothing designer and the Borgias were the INfamous Italian poisoners / murderers / weirdos from the 16 or 17th century.

A/N 3: I just felt like I should have some closure with Mr. Langford and try to redeem him. In this chapter, I like to think of Mr. Langford sort of being like Snape in the first Harry Potter book. During the Quiddich match when Hermione thinks he's trying to hex Harry when he was really trying to protect him.


	37. Ch 36: Helloooo, Baby! part 2

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: I usually save my notes for the end, but you need to keep an eye out for stuff. I've been listening to Sharpay's song, Fabulous, an absurdly large amount of time and I've tried to put as many lines from it as I can think of in this chapter. So, keep that in mind while you read and see if you can find all the references.

**Chapter 36: Helloooo, Baby! part 2**

All four of them arrive at the hospital ten minutes later. Troy and Sharpay are taken to a labor and delivery room while Lisa completes the admission paperwork. Jack is cleaning up the car from where Sharpay's water broke during the drive.

Sharpay emerges from the bathroom grumbling about the unflattering pink hospital gown she is forced to wear.

"But I thought pink was your favorite color", Troy says as he helps her up on the bed.

"Nice shades of pink, yes. But this is Pepto Bismol pink. It's disgusting", Sharpay states as she wrinkles her nose when she looks down at the gown.

Just then an older woman with brightly colored red hair pops in and says, "Oh good, you've changed. I'm Vera and I'll be your labor nurse, along with the nurse practitioner on duty. Your own doctor will get here later when it's closer to delivery time."

"Just how long do you think this will take?", Troy asks nervously.

"It will happen when it happens, but I'll take a quick look now to see how far dilated she is. Okay, honey, if you'll just relax, this will only take a second", she says as she snaps on the latex gloves.

Troy moves up to Sharpay and takes her hand.

"Hey, you okay?", he whispers.

"Yeah", she answers quietly and then quickly amends, "Right now, I am. Is it just me or is this the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?"

"Not even close. When I thought I'd lost you ... when you ended up in Colorado", he clarifies, "that was much scarier than this."

"Aww, that's so sweet."

He starts to lean down to her for a kiss when the nurse interrupts them with a loud snap as the pulls the gloves off.

"Well, everything looks great; you're four centimeters dilated and fifty percent effaced."

"In English, please?", Troy asks.

"When she's ten centimeters dilated, she can start pushing; she's not even half way there yet. Now, I'll just put in the I-V line and attach the monitors."

"I-V?", Troy squeaks, "Like in a needle?"

"Yes, like in a needle", the nurse repeats slowly, as if she's talking to a child. "There's nothing to worry about. It's standard procedure; in case we need it later."

"Alright... Um, I'll just wait over by the window until you're finished", Troy says as he pales slightly.

"Oh, he's going to be loads of help, dear", the older woman tells Sharpay, sarcastically.

"Tell me about it", Sharpay comments as she watches in fascination when the nurse expertly slips the needle under her skin.

"Now we'll put the monitors on your tummy", Vera says as she moves a small rectangular box around on Sharpay's stomach until the instrument registers the baby's heartbeat. Then, she loops a Velcro strap around Sharpay's middle to hold on the box. Next, she puts a second one in the middle of her large belly and attaches it the same way. Both monitors feed into the same screen. "There we go. See this line, here", she points to a graph line on the screen, "That's the baby's heartbeat. Looks nice and strong."

Troy has returned from his self-imposed exile at the window and is entranced with watching the line graphs which are then printing out on a strip of white paper feeding out onto the floor.

"What's this one here?", he points to the second line that is jerking around like a seismograph in an earthquake.

"Oh, that one monitors the contractions."

Suddenly, the contraction line shoots to the top of the screen and pegs out.

"Wow, look at it now. What's it mean when it does that?", Troy asks curiously.

"Oh, that means she's having a contraction", the nurse states matter-of-factly, "and a pretty good one by the looks of it."

"Oh", he acknowledges and then immediately follows that by exclaiming, "Oh ... Sharpay!" Troy realizes that she's been awfully quiet the last minute or so. He looks up at her and sees that she has turned sideways in the bed and her back is arched at an awful angle. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she appears to be holding her breath. If it's one thing he remembers from child-birth class, it is that she's not supposed to hold her breath. Therefore, he jumps over to her to try and help.

"Shar, don't hold you breath, babe", Troy tries to sound soothing while he starts to gently knead her back.

"Don't touch me!", she hisses, "Just ... just don't touch me!"

"But I'm supposed to massage your back; that's my job." Troy sounds a little hurt at her outburst.

"This is different! It's not helping", she snaps.

Troy looks over at the monitor and sees that the line is starting to level out again and she seems to be relaxing a little. He can't help but wish he had one of these machines that could monitor her moods all the time and then, he'd know when to stay away.

The nurse looks between the two of them and comments, "I can tell this is going to be loads of fun. The nurse-practitioner will be here in a little while to check your progress."

"You're ... you're leaving?", Troy asks her, anxiously.

"I'm sorry, but I do have other patients. Tonight's a full moon and that always means we're going to be packed. In fact, you two got the last room available. I heard there's some poor woman stuck down in the ER with only a thin curtain dividing her from her neighbor."

"But what do we do now?" He's starting to panic and even he's not sure if it's because of the enormity of having a baby or the prospect of being left alone with Sharpay.

"Calm down, son. You just let nature take its course."

"What about an epidural? It's supposed to be in my records that I want an epidural", Sharpay squeaks in a panic.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey. We don't even consider them until you're at least five centimeters and you're barely at a four. It slows labor if you start it too soon."

"But you'll put it in as soon as I reach five, right?", Sharpay tries to clarify.

"We'll do it as soon as humanly possible, dear."

The nurse leaves and just as another contraction starts and Troy starts to pace because he doesn't know what else to do, Lisa appears at the door.

"Hi, guys", she starts and then, immediately discerns the situation and quietly says to Troy, "Why don't you take a break, Troy? Taylor, Gabriella, and Chad are in the waiting room with your dad."

He looks to Sharpay with a guilty look.

"It's okay, just go", Sharpay says and he quickly scoots out the door.

Lisa walks up and takes her hand and Sharpay gratefully accepts it.

"It's going to be okay, you know?", Lisa says soothingly, "When you hold your daughter in your arms, you'll forget all about the pain."

"Really?", she asks through gritted teeth as the pain eases up.

"I wouldn't lie to you."

"Do you think I'm a wimp for wanting pain meds?"

"Absolutely, not. No one expects you to go to the dentist without mediation; why should they expect childbirth to be any different?"

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

When Troy enters the waiting room, Chad, Taylor, Gabriella and Jack jump to their feet.

"What's happening? ... Is she okay? ... How much longer? ... How are you holding up, son?"

"She's fine. There's no way to tell how long and she's really mad at me", Troy says with a defeated look on his face.

"No, she's not, Troy", Jack tells his only son, "She's just in pain. Pain that we, as men, will never be able to comprehend. You just have to be patient and don't take the things she says too seriously. Just don't give up, okay? Keep being supportive and before you know it, it'll all be over."

"Promise?"

"Hey, your mom didn't kill me and you were nine and half pounds", Jack says with a smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Hey, Troy. Is there anything we can do for you, man?", Chad asks, but the expression on his face says he really would prefer not being there.

"Actually, there is ..."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy reenters the room after about twenty minutes and finds Sharpay in a much better mood.

"Hi", he says cautiously.

She smiles back at him and slurs, "Hiya, baby. Where ya been?"

Troy looks questioningly toward his mom.

"Demerol", Lisa says in explanation. "They can't give her an epidural yet, so they gave her a shot of Demerol. It takes the edge off the pain."

"It's great schtuff", Sharpay comments, happily, "Hey, Troy. Be a dear and fetch me my Jimmy Choo flip flops."

"Sure Shar, I'll get right on that", Troy says as he slowly nods. _Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all._

Thirty minutes later, Sharpay is cursing like a sailor.

"What don't you people understand!? There's_ nothing_ to discuss."

"I'm so sorry, dear", Vera, who is back in the room to check her, says. "I can't give you another shot of Demerol for twenty minutes more minutes. But you're doing great, ... fabulous, even", she tells her enthusiastically.

"I don't want fabulous. I WANT MORE!"

Troy pulls the nurse to the side.

"What about the epidural? Has she dilated enough, yet?"

"Well, yes and no. Yes, technically, she has, but I want the doctor to take a look at the baby. Now, there's nothing to worry about, but I'm not getting a good reading on the monitor anymore. The doctor can insert an internal probe and attach it to the baby's head. Then, we can talk about an epidural. She just seems a little high strung right now and I didn't want to upset her with this news."

"Actually, she's sort of always like this when she's not getting what she wants", Troy admits truthfully.

"My sympathies are with you."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Good afternoon, Sharpay", Dr. Baker says as she breezes into the room.

"Dr. Baker? You're here already? Does that mean I'm almost done?", Sharpay asks hopefully.

This is the first time they've seen Sharpay's doctor. Until now, it's just been Nurse Vera and three different nurse-practitioners. Troy thinks they keep sending in new ones because Sharpay is scaring them off.

"I'm afraid not. I just need to make a quick check on the baby."

"The baby! Oh God, something's wrong. I just knew it. I knew it shouldn't be taking this long." Sharpay tries to sit up in the bed and her voice is sounding quite panic-stricken.

"No, no, everything's fine. There's just a minor problem with the external monitor. I'd like to attach an internal one. It's more accurate and we shouldn't have any problems reading it."

"Oh, okay. If you're sure there's nothing wrong."

"Absolutely. Now, just relax and this won't take but a minute. Remember, when we first met and I told you my patients appreciated how small my hands are? This is why."

Then, she proceeds to place the probe vaginally by inserting her hand ...

"Oh my God, Sharpay! You should see what she's doing!", Troy exclaims with his bright blue eyes opened as wide as they can go.

"I KNOW WHAT SHE'S DOING!", Sharpay hisses as she grabs onto to Troy's hand with a death grip.

"But Shar, her WHOLE hand is ..."

"I KNOW WHERE HER HAND IS! Oh, and by the way, Doc, your hands really aren't all that small."

"There", announces the doctor as she withdraws her hand while ignoring her emotional patient, "all done. Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Absolutely ... NOT!"

Ignoring her again, the doctor continues while watching the screen, "Everything seems to be working now."

"Um, hey Doc? 'Bout that epidural?", Troy grinds out. Sharpay still has a vise-like grip on his hand. _Who knew she was so strong?_

"Oh right. I'll let the anesthesiologist know you're ready for him."

After the doctor leaves, Troy lets out a sigh of relief when Sharpay eases up on his hand. She looks up at him sheepishly and mumbles, "Sorry."

"Oh, no problem. At all. I swear. I mean what that doctor did to you..."

"You can stop now. It isn't really helping me to start thinking about it again."

"Sorry."

Much later, there's a light knock on the door and Troy opens it to see Chad standing there with a Burger King bag and a large soda in his hands.

"Oh, good. What took you so long, man?", Troy whispers.

"Sorry, dude. It was Taylor. She kept saying this was a bad idea. I had to take her and Gabriella home and then, sneak back over here."

"Well, thanks man. I owe you big time."

"Actually, you owe me $4.35, but I'll get it from you later."

"Sure ... and thanks for coming. We'll call when there's news", Troy finishes as Chad quickly slips away.

"Who was that?", Sharpay calls from the bed in a tired voice.

Troy quickly puts the Burger Kind bag behind his back before he answers. "Oh, it was just Chad. He wanted to let us know that Taylor, Gabriella and him were leaving."

"Oh, I didn't know they were even here. ... That's really nice of them to come, especially Chad --- I can't imagine he'd really like being here."

"Um, Sharpay is it okay if I just sit over here for awhile?", Troy asks, indicating the seat near the window.

"Sure, they don't seem so bad right now. I'm going to try and rest", she replies as she lies back and closes her eyes.

Troy sits down facing the window and start to surreptitiously eat his meal. _Well, it is past dinner time and I missed lunch. I'm sure Sharpay won't mind if I eat something. Yeah, right. That's why I'm hiding it from her._

"Troooy? Do you smell something?", she asks from the bed.

_Uh oh._

"Humm, nope", he replies with his mouth full of fries.

Sharpay surprises him by sitting straight up in bed and shouting at him. "A burger! You're eating a burger while I'm in labor with your child? You son of a ...",

Just then, the woman whom Sharpay is about to disparage enters the room.

"Everything, okay?", Lisa asks worriedly when she feels the tension in the room. "We just got back from grabbing some dinner and I thought I'd check on you."

"You ate too?", Sharpay huffs out, indignantly. Since she went into active labor, she's not allowed to eat or drink anything other than ice chips for fear that it will make her sick.

Lisa notices Troy's cheeks are poking out like the little hamster, Cinnamon, who Troy had when he was ten years old.

"Oh my. Troy? Why don't you take that outside?", she suggests.

Troy exits quickly and Lisa goes over to Sharpay's side.

"Sharpay?", she starts cautiously. "What's wrong, baby?"

She's almost in tears when she admits, shakily, "This is just a lot harder than I thought it would be. Why does it have to take so long?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. There's not much I can offer you", Lisa admits.

Lisa is shocked at how Sharpay looks. Her appearance has really degraded since the last time Lisa saw her. Sharpay's face is pale and drawn and it's obvious she's been crying. And her hair ... well, Sharpay Evans would never let herself be seen in such a state under normal circumstances.

"Oh God", Sharpay rasps out as her back arches and she grabs for Lisa's hand.

"It's okay, Sharpay. Just keep breathing", Mrs. Bolton says reassuringly.

"I'm ... I'm ...", but she can't finish.

Finally, she seems to relax a little.

"How far apart are they, now?", Lisa asks while she looks at her watch.

"Still about four minutes. They're not getting any closer, but they're getting really painful."

"I'm so sorry, Sharpay. Jack's going to leave now. Buddy's been cooped up all day and he's probably torn up half the house. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good. ... And thank you ... for everything. You know, Troy really is pretty terrific. I've put him through a lot and he just keeps coming back for more."

"That's love, Sharpay ... that's love. Let me tell Jack that it's okay that he leave", Lisa tells her while she reluctantly lets go of Sharpay's hand.

"I'll send Troy back in", Lisa says as she leans over to give Sharpay a kiss on her cheek. Then, she turns to Sharpay's bulging stomach and places her hand on it as she says, "Listen to me, little one, your parents and grandparents are so anxious to meet you. Please don't keep us waiting too much longer, okay?" A swift kick against her hand is the answer.

"Wow, did you feel that?", Lisa exclaims as the looks up at Sharpay. _Poor dear_, Lisa thinks. Sharpay's eyes are once again screwed shut as she rides out another contraction.

Troy comes back in just as that contraction ends. He rushes over to Sharpay's side and takes her hand. "It's okay, babe. I'm back and I'm sorry about the food. It was insensitive of me."

Sharpay takes a deep breath and slowly opens her eyes. "Yeah, you're right; it was." Then, she really surprises him by chuckling a little.

"Did they give you more Demerol or something?"

"No, just realized how lucky I really am, is all."

Lisa silently slips out the door without disturbing them.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Four hours later...

Troy is in the room trying once again to calm a complaining Sharpay.

"Where the hell is that anesthesiologist?, Sharpay screams.

"I'll go check", Troy quickly volunteers.

"Oh no, you don't, Troy Bolton. You're not leaving me!"

Troy grimaces, but dutifully comes back to the bed and starts to massage her back again.

Lisa volunteers to go; but before she can leave, Dr. Baker returns with some bad news.

"The nurse tells me that you're not progressing at the rate we'd like to see. Things appear to have stalled. You've been dilated to seven centimeters for the past few hours, but haven't advanced since then", the doctor explains to Sharpay, Troy, and Lisa.

"So what happens now?, Troy asks.

"One of two things, actually. We can try Petocin. It's a medication that we'll put directly into your I-V line and it should speed the labor along. However, if it doesn't, we need to seriously consider a Cesarean."

"C-section?! No way. Not going to happen. No scars! Absolutely ... NOT!", Sharpay exclaims.

"That, of course, would only be as a last resort", the doctor tells them in an irritatingly calm voice. "I'll just go order that Petocin drip."

"Good! You ... go ... do!", Sharpay orders.

The doctor gives her an odd look and exits the room.

"Um, Sharpay", Troy tries to say delicately, "Maybe, it's not a good idea to order the doctor around like she's a waiter you just sent off to get you more ice."

The look Sharpay gives him would have make lesser men crumble. Troy thinks he can feel the hairline fractures starting now.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Oh God, please make it stop!", Sharpay pleads.

Lisa is dutifully holding her hand and speaks in soft, soothing tones to her.

Troy is pacing like ... well, an expectant father. Sharpay's back in one of her "don't you dare touch me you, SOB" phases and he's afraid to get within striking range. The contractions are coming almost on top of each other and the new nurse on duty, Maggie, (Vera's shift ended at midnight) actually had the nerve to tell her to keep it down because she was disturbing the other patients.

This latest contraction is almost over and Troy knows he only has a few minutes before the next one starts, so he's working up his nerve to approach the bed when his cell phone rings.

Chad's picture pops up on the phone.

"Yeah?"

_"Hey, man. I'm just about to head off to bed and I thought I'd see what was happening. You know what's the stats: how big? ... how long? ... name? ... that sort of thing."_

"Nothing's happened yet. She's still in labor."

_"No way, dude, it's almost one in the morning."_

"Yeah, I know. ... I'm really tired too and I had to skip lunch and rush through din... Ow!", Troy exclaims when something hits him in the head. He looks down and sees Sharpay's cup lying on its side and the ice chips spilled across the floor.

"You know Troy, you're probably asking yourself, What would make this whole experience more fabulous? ... How about ... _more ice?_ Now get off that phone and tell whoever the hell you're talking to that you need go fetch me some more of those lovely ice chips", Sharpay growls.

"Um, Chad, ... I really need to go now. Bye." Troy hangs up without even waiting for a response.

Any further chastising from Sharpay is interrupted by Nurse Maggie storming into the room with a scowl on her face.

"Look here, Missie! Every patient on this floor is here to have a baby, but you're the only one screaming to high heaven!"

"Then, maybe they got their epidurals when they ask for them!" Sharpay is giving as good as she gets.

"What? You were supposed to have had that hours ago", the nurse says as she checks Sharpay's chart. "Oh my goodness. You must have been overlooked." She looks embarrassed as she continues, "I'm so sorry. I'll personally go get the anesthesiologist myself, dear."

She rushes from the room. There's a moment of awkward silence before Sharpay starts screaming again. Troy straightens himself up and thinks, _It's now or never._

"I told you_ not _to touch me!", she hisses when he touches her back.

"Look! I'm trying to help, but you're not letting me. And it's going to end now! Got it?", she nods mutely. "Good!", he shouts and then, immediately softens his tone and continues, "Please let me hold your hand, Shar. I really want to help."

She holds up her hand as requested and he grabs hold of it to help her through the next rounds of contractions. Troy looks up and his eyes meet the identical blue ones of his mother who gives her silent approval.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

A long forty-five minutes later...

The nurse enters for her normal check.

"Oh good, you're still here", Maggie says sarcastically.

"Where's the anesthesiologist?", Sharpay asks angrily, "You said you were going to get him."

"He's really busy; he'll be here as soon as possible. So, have you been feeling an urge to push?"

"Yeah, for like the past two hours or so. But don't worry, I know I'm not supposed to, so I've decided to just scream bloody murder instead. It's a coping mechanism."

The nurse turns to Troy and comments, "She's a little surly, isn't she?"

"You would be too if you were her", Troy says in her defense.

"Well, let's get on with this; I do have other patients", she bites out in irritation. She begins her examination. "Well, well, well. Congratulations, Miss Evans; you're fully effaced and dilated to 10 centimeters." Then, she straightens up and starts for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?", Troy asks in confusion.

"I'm going to get the doctor, of course. It's time to have this baby."

Lisa, who went to grab a quick cup of coffee, passes the nurse on her way out and Troy shouts out to her. "Mom, it's time to have the baby!"

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Alright, is everyone ready?", Dr. Baker asks as she looks around the small room to the people gathered there. "Dad?", Troy nods on Sharpay's left side; "Grandma?", Lisa nods on Sharpay's right side. "Mom?"

"God, yes", Sharpay sighs dramatically.

"Good. Now the next contraction you feel, I want you to do what your body wants to do and push. Ah, here comes one now", she notices as she feels Sharpay's stomach begin to tighten up.

Lisa and Troy help support Sharpay as she lifts her upper body slightly. Her face turns red as she bares down. When the contraction ends, she flops down onto the bed.

"Very good, Sharpay. Just keep doing that and we'll all meet your daughter in no time."

"Yeah, you're doin' great, Shar", Troy agrees.

"We're proud of you, honey", Lisa echoes their sentiments.

Just then, the door opens and a young man, who looks to be only slightly older than Troy and Sharpay, pops into the room.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Burke. Did someone here call for an epidural?"

Five faces turn to him simultaneously and incredulously.

Troy finds his voice first. "Naw, I don't think we need it anymore."

Dr. Baker nods in agreement.

"Oh yes we do", Sharpay insists, "Get over here."

"Sharpay", Dr. Burke tries to explain, "It's too late now. By the time it takes affect, the baby will already be here."

"He's right, Miss Evans", says the labor nurse, who is different and much nicer than Nurse Maggie.

"I'm sorry I'm late", the anesthesiologist says lamely, "This hospital is overflowing with babies tonight." He is a tall blond man with sparkling green eyes and under different circumstances, Sharpay would probably be flirting with him. However, right now, she just wants to choke him. "Well, I'll be on my way now. Um, carry on."

Forty minutes later...

"I can't do this anymore", whimpers an exhausted Sharpay.

"Yes, you can, Sharpay", encourages Dr. Baker, "I can see the head now. Two more good pushes and she'll be out."

"You said that five pushes ago", she reminds the doctor.

"Come on sweetheart", Lisa tells her, "We know you can do. You've come too far to quit now."

"Here we go... and a big push ... YES ... she's crowning. Keep going Sharpay! Don't stop."

Sharpay is drenched in sweat and her hair is plastered to the sides of head. Lisa and Troy are propping her up at this point and she is grasping tightly to her own knees to give herself extra leverage.

"Here she comes", the doctor says excitedly, "Here's the head ... Stop pushing!"

"What?!", Sharpay screams at him.

"Let me suction the baby's nose out."

"No, I can't stop now. You ... catch!"

The doctor takes a bulb syringe and suctions out the baby's nose and mouth.

"Okay, just a little more ..."

With a swoosh, the baby slides out into the doctor's waiting arms. And she's not very happy about it. This new little girl doesn't have to be slapped to make her cry. She is beet-red and mad as heck to be pushed so unceremoniously from her warm, dark home.

"Oh, what a big girl you are", Dr. Baker says with a smile on her face.

"Oh God, Sharpay, she's beautiful", Troy gushes.

Sharpay is too overcome with emotion to response and instead just starts crying through the biggest smile she's ever made.

"Hey, Dad", the doctor says, looking at Troy, "Would you like to cut the cord?"

"Me?", Troy squeaks and then, immediately clears his throat and in a distinctly lower voice says, "Sure."

Troy gives Sharpay a quick peck on the lips and moves down to the bottom of the bed. The nurse hands him scissors and he has to hold them with both hands to stop himself from shaking. The doctor indicates where to cut and Troy takes a deep breath and squeezes.

"Very good", the nurse says as she swoops in and wraps the baby in a blanket and then hands her to Troy. "Here you go, Daddy. Now take her up to see Mommy and then we'll get her cleaned up."

Troy gently receives his daughter and she calms instantly. "Hey there, precious." She opens her dark blue eyes and stares unfocused up at him. Troy carries her slowly back to Sharpay.

"Oh, Sharpay. Look what we made, babe", he says as he lowers the baby down for her to see her.

Mrs. Bolton releases Sharpay's hand and she receives her daughter from Troy. Sharpay lovingly rubs her hand over the baby's little tufts of light blond hair. The baby reacts instinctively when her mother's hand accidentally brushes along her cheek and turns her head in that direct. Then, Sharpay starts the age old tradition of counting her fingers and unwrapping her enough to see her ten little toes. "She's prefect and so tiny."

"Oh, that baby is anything but tiny. We won't know, exactly, until she's weighed and measured in the nursery, but the guess is between eight and a half and nine pounds. That's definitely something to be proud of, considering you did it without any pain management", comments the nurse, who is standing close by.

"Speaking of which, does anyone know where that anesthesiologist lives?", Sharpay asks seriously.

Troy looks over at his mother, "Would you like to hold her, Mom?"

Lisa started crying the instant the baby hit open air and hasn't stopped yet. "Please?", she rasps out through her joyful tears. Troy helps transfer her over to his mom and she coos down to the little bundle. "She is so pretty."

Sharpay gives Troy a little nudge and a knowing glance.

Troy clears his throat and says gently, "Mom ... we'd like you to meet Lisa Nicole Bolton."

"Oh my", Lisa whispers as she continues to gaze down at her namesake. She looks up at Sharpay and says sincerely, "Thank you, Sharpay." And then shifting her head toward Troy, she adds with a wink, "And of course, you too, Troy."

TBC

Start date: Saturday, October 28, 2006 (38 weeks) End Date: Sunday, Oct 29, 2006.

Dedicated to our sweet little hamster Cinnamon who passed away last Thursday.

Boy, I'm beat. This childbirthing stuff isn't easy. I said I'd give you details, but I hope it wasn't boring. I tried to have it make sense. Hope I succeeded.

Okay, which lines from Fabulous did you spot?

Now if this chapter isn't a poster child for celibacy, I don't know what is.

Oh, about her name. For all those people who put in suggestions for names, I apologize for not using them. Once my beta said I had to name her after Grandma, it just became a simple matter of picking a middle name that sounded good with Lisa. Now should they call her, Lissie or Nicky?

Oh, about her eyes. Almost all babies are born with dark blue eyes. Then, they change to whatever color they're going to be by about six months old. My guess is they'll be a striking color of blue.

One more question ... now that we finally have a baby, I'd like to write a chapter for one of my other stories next. So which you do you want me to work on: Baby for Sale or Why is She Really the Ice Queen? Please let me know.

As always, please R & R. Thank you.


	38. Ch 37: Baby Days

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 37: Baby Days**

A/N: Wow!!!! I can't believe it --- over 600 reviews. Thank you all very much. It seems I've discovered the secret to getting lots of reviews --- write never ending stories.

"Are you sure I'm doing this right?", Sharpay asks while wincing.

"Well, Nickie seems to think you're doing it right", Lisa comments.

Lisa is standing next to Sharpay's hospital bed. She's been in a regular room for about two hours now and this is her first attempt at nursing the baby.

"Nickie?", Troy asks curiously, "Where'd that come from?"

"Well, calling her Lisa just seems a little confusing and dated and Nicole is fine when she's fifteen, but she needs to grow into that name", Lisa explains to Troy.

"Nickie...", Sharpay repeats and she gently touches the baby's nose, "I like it. Hello there, Nickie."

"And don't worry, it hurts a little at first, but that shouldn't last for long. Oh, and you should let her nurse about ten minutes and then switch her to the other side. That way you don't end up lop-sided."

"But she just fell asleep", Sharpay says in disappointment. "She isn't doing anything now."

"Well, you can try to wake her when you switch her over, but you're right. She's brand new right now and is going to be asleep more than she's awake."

"Is this a bad time?", comes a voice from the open door.

"Ryan!", Sharpay shouts as she instantly recognizes the voice.

Unfortunately, she also startles Nickie who jerks to wakeful state and instantly starts screaming and turning bright red.

"Oh, oh baby. I'm sorry. Shh, shh, it's okay. Every thing's alright", Sharpay coos to the baby as she puts her up on her shoulder to soothe her. Nickie's crying slows to a few jerky hiccups and she lets out a loud burp in the process.

"Sorry about that", Bill Evans says as he follows Ryan into the room.

"Daddy...", Sharpay smiles happily at him, "I didn't even know you were coming."

"We left as soon as Lisa called us."

Sharpay gives Lisa a grateful look and turns back to her family. Bill walks up to Troy and offers him his hand. "Congratulations, Troy." And then, he immediately moves over to the bed to hug Sharpay with the baby between them. "You look beautiful, Sharpay. You're glowing."

"I look terrible. I've barely slept the last twenty-four hours and I'm not wearing any makeup", she complains.

"In my eyes, you look beautiful."

"In my eyes you look dead tired, but we didn't come all this way to see you, you know?", Ryan says jokingly.

Sharpay turns Nickie around to show her off while remembering to cover herself back up.

"Oh, Sharpay!", Bill exclaims, "She looks just like you when you were born. I'll never forget it; you were the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen ... until now."

"Oh Daddy ...", Sharpay whispers through her happy tears.

"Hey, what about me?", Ryan asks incredulously.

"You? You were this scrawny little thing... your face was all smushed up and your head was pointy. It seems that Sharpay took up most of the room inside your mother and there wasn't much left for you", Bill explains with a grin.

"Wow, I can't believe it, Shar. You were bossing me around before we were even born", Ryan jokes.

"Very funny", Sharpay counters. "Hey, how long can you say? I go home tomorrow and ..."

"I'm sorry Shar, we have to go back today. Jennifer, Dad's wife, she has bronchitis and what with the two kids and all ..."

"It's okay, I'm just glad you got to come", Sharpay says a little sadly.

"Oh, I almost forgot. We brought some presents", Ryan announces as he runs back out into the hall. He reenters immediately with a huge box and three gift bags.

"Wow, what's all this?", Troy exclaims.

They spend the next few hours just being a family ... something they really haven't had a chance to do in the last twelve years. Finally, Ryan and Bill leave to head back to Arizona and to let Sharpay try to get some much needed sleep.

Chad, Taylor, and Gabriella creep silently into the hospital room.

"Are you sure it's alright for us to be here?", Gabriella asks quietly.

"Sure, the receptionist said it was okay", Chad replies confidently and a little too loudly.

"But I don't even think she's awake", Taylor whispers, "and where's the baby, anyway?"

"I'm awake ... now", comes a tired, irritated voice from the bed.

"Hi, Sharpay", shoots back a chipper Chad, "We're here to see this new baby. Troy called me at 3:30 in the morning and was screaming in the phone about how gorgeous this baby is ... so where is it?"

Despite how tired and sore Sharpay is feeling, she can't help but smile at Chad's description of Troy's phone call.

"_It_ is a her and Troy should be back with her any minute now. They take her down to the nursery every shift change to check her vitals", Sharpay explains.

Gabriella slowly approaches the bed and speaks in a demure voice. "How are you doing? Was it hard?"

"I'm fine --- very tired and sore as ... well, we won't get into that. And yes, it was hard. It's the hardest thing I've ever done ... they don't call it labor for nothing."

"Wow, a baby!", Taylor exclaims as she comes around to the other side, "I can't believe it. I mean we're the same age and I'm no where near ready for anything like that."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Taylor", and then, Sharpay leans forward, lowers her voice and continues, conspiratorially, "I'm not either."

Just then, the door opens and a bassinet on wheels starts to slowly enter the room.

"Here we are, Nickie; right back home with mommy", Troy says in a little baby voice. He is completely focused on the small bundle in the clear plastic bassinet that he's pushing and he doesn't even notice there are other people in the room.

"Umm, hey man", Chad says in a manly voice, an octave lower than normal.

Troy looks up in surprise and blushes in embarrassment at getting caught using his _baby voice_.

"Oh, hi guys. I didn't know you were here."

Gabriella snickers under her breath and Taylor just rolls her eyes.

"Well, let's take a look at _the most gorgeous baby in the world_", Chad suggests.

"It's just so happens she's right here", Troy says with a grin as he gently lifts the baby up. "She's asleep right now, but she'll probably wake up any minute."

"That's a sure bet", Sharpay puts in.

The two girls immediately swoop down on Troy like dogs on a bone.

"Ahh...she's so tiny", coos Taylor.

"Look at those little fingernails ... they're prefect", gushes Gabriella. "May I hold her?"

"Um, sure. Just make sure you support her head, okay?", Troy explains as he transfers the baby over to Gabriella.

"She's not tiny, by the way", Sharpay says from the bed. "That giant baby weighs nine pounds and one ounce. Oh and she's twenty-one inches long", she adds as an afterthought.

"Well, she looks tiny to us."

"That's because you didn't have to squeeze her ou...", Sharpay starts before being cut off.

"Sharpay...", Troy snaps in a warning tone.

"Sorry..", Sharpay mutters back insincerely.

"Seriously Sharpay, she's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen and she's not even awake", Gabriella tells her.

"Aaaw, I want one", Taylor says dreamily as she reaches a finger over to stroke her arm.

"You what!?", exclaims Chad.

"Not now, Chad ... some day ... in the future ... _way_ in the future", Taylor explains more fully once she realizes how her statement sounded. "Oh, we brought presents", Taylor says as she hands Sharpay a brightly colored gift bag.

"Ah, a teddy bear", Sharpay exclaims as she lifts out the small brown bear with jointed arms and legs.

"I know it's a little cliche, but I made sure to get the baby-safe one so you don't have to worry about the nose or eyes coming off and her getting choked on it", Taylor explains.

"No, it's wonderful; she'll always remember her first teddy bear."

"Umm, here's mine", Gabriella says, blushing, as she hands over another gift bag while carefully balancing the baby. "I hope she'll remember her second teddy bear, too", she says apologetically.

Sharpay takes out the second bear and holds the two of them together. "Look, a matched set. Thank you, both." The bears are identical.

"I can't believe we picked the same present", Gabriella says disbelievingly.

"Great minds must think alike", Taylor tells her.

"Well, I think your minds think _boring_", Chad says as he brings out his gift. "Let see what a creative gift looks like."

Sharpay eyes Chad skeptically while she opens the bag. She pulls out a small piece of clothing and holds it up in front of her. It's a pink onesie. Immediately, her expression changes from doubt to awed appreciation when she reads the writing on the front.

"Oh Chad, it's perfect ... absolutely perfect", she gushes. "Thank you!"

"What's it say, Shar?", Troy asks curiously.

"Check this out", Sharpay says with a smile as she turns the onesie around for all to read. In the center is a hot pink and fushia crown and underneath the crown is written:

_Drama Queen in Training_

"Chad...", Troy says with a serious expression on his face. Just as Chad starting to become nervous, Troy breaks into a grin and finishes, "That's great, man...really great."

"What can I say? I'm a genius", Chad says smugly.

"Oh, look", Gabriella whispers, "She's waking up."

Slowly, Lisa Nicole stretches out her little body and opens up her mouth for a huge yawn. Then, her eyes pop open and she looks up into Gabriella's face.

"Wow, look at that!", Chad says excitedly, "Her eyes are open already! I thought that took a while."

"Chad, what are you talking about?", Troy asks him. He has moved over to Sharpay's bed and is sitting on the edge holding her hand.

"The baby's eyes, duh. They aren't supposed to be open yet, are they?"

Suddenly, Sharpay starts to giggle uncontrollably when she realizes what he's saying.

"Chad, you moron. She's not a puppy. Human babies can open their eyes at birth, duh."

"Are you sure? Cuz I always thought..."

Nickie picks that exact moment to get fussy and Gabriella moves her up to her shoulder and starts to slowly pat her back while she sways back and forth.

"Hey, you look like you know what you're doing", Troy comments.

"Yeah, I used to babysit a lot before I moved here, but never anyone this young."

Then, Nickie starts to anxiously bob her head into Gabriella's shoulder as she begins to fret even more.

"I'd better take her now", explains Sharpay, "She's rooting on you. She'll be crying for real in a second."

"Rooting? Like a pig?", Chad asks confusedly.

Before anyone can explain to Chad that newborns instinctively root around for their source of nourishment, Nickie breaks out into a full fletched crying jag.

"Wow, listen to that, she sounds just like a little cat, doesn't she?", Chad comments stupidly.

"What is it with you today, Chad?", Taylor asks, incredulously. "Puppies, pigs and now cats. Maybe you should go."

Gabriella hands Nickie over to Sharpay and she starts to position her to nurse, but then looks up at Chad with an expectant expression on her face.

"Chad, I need to feed her", Sharpay hints loudly.

"Oh, don't let me stop you ... You want me to get the bottle or something."

Sharpay cocks her head to the side for a second and then smiles slyly as she proceeds to feed her baby.

"Oh my lord!", Chad shouts, "Troy, my man, I gotta go. See you later. Um...nice baby." With that, Chad disappears from the room.

"You are one evil woman, Sharpay Evans", Troy tells her. He is still sitting beside her in the bed and he reaches over to lightly stroke Nickie's head.

"Yeah, you are that", Taylor agrees with a smile, "I knew I liked you. And who would have thought Chad, of all people, would be scared off by a little peep show?"

The four of them laugh for a few minutes at Chad's expense.

"Does it hurt?", Gabriella asks curiously.

She and Taylor have pulled up a couple of chairs to sit next to the bed.

"Oh yeah", Sharpay says bluntly. "But Mom says that won't last for long; I'll get toughened up pretty quickly."

"That's amazing, isn't it?", Taylor says, "I mean our entire society seems to worship women's breasts, but this is what they're really for. This is why they exist; this is their purpose. Not to be exposed for some teenager to ogle while he's sitting in his bathroom with the door locked. Right? I'm right, right?", when no one answers her, Taylor continues, passionately, "It's what's best for the baby _and_ the mother. It gives the baby the right antibodies and it helps protect the mother and the baby from breast cancer. And all that happens just by doing what nature intended..."

"Taylor, chill out. Save it for Chad", Troy says, trying to halt her before she gets carried away.

"Gosh, it's late. We'd better get going", Gabriella tells them as she rises.

"Yeah, we have school tomorrow; we don't get to take the day off like you", Taylor adds.

"Oh, very funny. You know she only sleeps in two hour stretches. You're going to have a much easier day than me", Sharpay enlightens them.

"Are you going to be at school tomorrow, Troy?", Gabriella asks.

"No. Sharpay gets discharged tomorrow, so I'm going to stay out for that."

"Well, try to get as much rest as you can, okay Sharpay?", Taylor advises her.

"We'll both do our best. Right, Nickie?", Sharpay asks the baby who by this time has fallen back to sleep.

TBC

And so ends the first day in the life of Lisa Nicole Bolton. Hope you liked it. Please R&R. Thanks.

Oh, this is no lie. When my nephew was born, my brother-in-law seriously thought babies were like puppies and couldn't open their eyes when they were first born. And they let that man reproduce. Go figure.


	39. Ch 38: Baby Daze

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: In an effort to move this story along, this chapter is more like a series of snapshots of the first couple of months in baby Bolton's life. Oh, and I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated lately. Life has gotten terribly busy and I'm fighting a killer headache brought on by a killer sinus infection.

**Chapter 38: Baby Daze**

"Okay Shar, just sit down here and take it easy", Troy directs her to the comfortable recliner in the Bolton's living room.

"Um, sure, but shouldn't we do something with the baby?", Sharpay asks.

Nickie is sitting in her carseat in the middle of the floor, sound asleep. Buddy and Ginger are taking turns investigating this odd smelling new addition to the family. Ginger's still not sure what to make of her, but Buddy has decided that this little person definitely needs protecting and he's plopped down in front of the carrier, taking up a defensive position against any threats.

"I'm not going to wake her up ... are you?", Troy asks as he eyes the sleeping baby.

"Good point. ... So I guess we just wait, huh?"

"Guess so..."

"What are they doing?", Lisa whispers when Jack reenters the kitchen.

"Nothing. They're just sitting and staring at the baby. She's sleeping peacefully, by the way."

"Remind you of anyone?", Lisa asks her husband of almost twenty years.

"What? No, why do you ask?"

"We did the same thing. We were afraid of making a peep for fear that we'd wake him up. Don't you remember?"

"All I really remember was walking the halls with him at three in the morning because he wouldn't stop screaming", Jack winces at the seventeen year old memory.

"Well, let's hope Nickie won't put them through that."

Later that night, Troy and Sharpay settle down in bed to go to sleep. Nickie is sleeping quietly in her handmade cradle next to Sharpay's side of the bed.

"Are you really going to school tomorrow?", Sharpay asks him.

"Yeah...", he sighs, "I don't want to leave you, but I've got a big test coming up and besides ... I need to show off all the pictures of Nickie." Troy is leaning back on his propped up pillow and is sorting through a stack of photographs of the baby.

"There'd better not be any pictures of me in there, Troy Bolton", Sharpay warns him.

"Don't worry; I'm not that stupid", is the last thing he says before they fall asleep.

Two hours later, the baby starts crying. Troy jumps to his feet and runs around to the other side of the bed to gently lift her up out of the cradle. "Shhh, it's okay, sweetie. I'm taking you to mommy right now."

"Wow...what service", Sharpay says in amazement as she receives the baby from her father.

Troy gets back in bed and leans over to Sharpay who has already started nursing the baby.

"Okay, when you're all finished I'll take her and put her back in her cradle."

"You don't have to do that", Sharpay tells him, "I'm not an invalid."

"It's the least I can do. After all, you're doing all the work."

Yawn.

"Just let me know when you're done."

Yawn. Yawn.

"Is it okay if I go back to sleep? You can just wake me up when you're done."

Yawn. Yawn. Yawn.

"Of course, it's fine. I've got everything I need right here. I can even change her diaper without getting up. You know it's really sweet of you to do this, Troy. ... Troy? Troy?"

Sharpay looks over and sees that he has already fallen back to sleep.

Twenty minutes later, Nickie is fed, changed and sound asleep again.

"Troy?", Sharpay whispers over to him, "Time to get up. Nickie's all done. ... Troy? ... Troy Bolton." She says as loudly as she dares without disturbing the baby.

"Five more minutes, Mom...", he mumbles and then, rolls over and falls back to sleep.

"Oh well, it was good while it lasted", Sharpay grumbles as she lurches out of bed and carries the baby back to her cradle.

Beep Beep Beep

Troy reaches over and turns off the alarm and then lies on his back and stretches slowly. Only when he finishes with his slow, luxurious stretch does he look over and see Sharpay scowling at him. She is propped up against the pillows nursing the baby ... again. This is the third time Nicole's awakened demanding food and apparently Sharpay is the only one who heard her since Troy never moved again after that first time.

"Hey babe, I feel great. What a good night's sleep!", Troy says jovially as he leans over to give her a peck on the lips.

She doesn't respond to his kiss and only lifts a perfectly arched brow at him. Troy doesn't seem to notice and rolls off the bed to start getting ready for the day. Just as he's about to leave the room, he suddenly remembers something.

"Hey Shar? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Troy Bolton...", Sharpay growls in a low voice, "If I wasn't holding this baby right now..."

"What?", he asks in complete confusion.

"Just go get ready for school, dear. Don't worry about us", she says sarcastically.

"Women..." he mutters to himself as he heads out the door.

Three weeks later...

Jack walks into the house with the mail in his hands. It's his routine when he gets home from work to bring in the daily mail. He walks into the kitchen and begins to sort through the envelopes, separating the bills from the junk mail.

"Oh, here's something different... hey, Sharpay! You've got mail", Jack singsongs into the empty house. "Where could she be?"

Just then Sharpay walks through the kitchen door, cradling Nickie in one arm and guzzling a bottled water with the other.

"Hi, Sharpay", Jack says as he moves towards his granddaughter with his arms open wide. "Here, let me take her. How far'd you go today?"

"Only three miles. It's like I've never been running before. At this rate, I'm going to be huge forever", Sharpay pouts as she hands over the baby. "But thanks again for the jogging stroller. It's a life saver. I get to exercise and Nickie loves it."

"Honey, it's only been three weeks. I wouldn't worry about it. ... Hey, you got something in the mail today." Jack walks over to the pile of mail with the baby and retrieves the mysterious envelope for Sharpay. "There's no return address. Here you go."

Sharpay takes the letter and studies the handwriting. She recognizes it immediately.

"Oh no...", she murmurs as she numbly sits down in a seat at the kitchen table. She opens the envelope with shaking hands and pulls out the contents. There are ten $5,000 U.S. Government Savings Bonds made payable to Lisa Nicole Bolton. Sharpay drops them to the table as if they burn her hands.

Jack notices her distress and approaches her with concern. "Sharpay? What's wrong? What is it?"

"It's from Mother. I...I recognize the handwriting on the envelope. She sent savings bonds. ... Savings bonds. Can you believe it?"

After Lisa and Troy arrive home, the four of them sit down in the living room to discuss this latest development.

"It makes sense", Lisa explains and she plays with Nickie. The baby is lying on her back on Lisa's lap with her little fingers wrapped around Lisa's index fingers. "I mean they're not traceable. All she needed was the baby's name..."

"Don't forget about her social security number, Mom", Troy points out. He's holding one of the savings bonds and has read everything on it, front and back, five times. "How'd she get a hold of that?"

"I have no idea.."

"She has powerful friends", Sharpay comments.

"I'm worried", Troy says, "I mean ... what if she tries to hurt her or something."

"I don't think we need to worry about that. This is just like something she'd do. She was always good at giving us gifts - money, toys. It was always easier than giving herself."

"So what should we do with these?", Troy asks as he flips through the stack of bonds.

"Keep them, Troy. When they mature, they'll be worth $50,000. That'll be a good start to a college education for her", Jack explains to the two young parents.

"Well, I don't like it. It's like accepting blood money", Troy says as he throws the bonds down on the coffee table and storms out of the room.

Sharpay sighs and quietly gathers up the scattered savings bonds. "I'll keep them. Troy will get over it by the time she's eighteen and college costs $100,000 a year."

One week later...

Sharpay nervously walks into the high school gymnasium. It's Troy's first game of the season and she and Mrs. Bolton have decided that Sharpay will just show up at the game and surprise him. 'Grammy' is at home watching the baby. Sharpay picks a seat on a low bench behind the players so Troy will be sure to see her. It doesn't take long.

"Sharpay?", Troy asks incredulously as he and his teammates enter the court.

She smiles and waves to him. This is the first time she's ever actually watched him play a whole game and now she knows why. It's boring. And loud. And being this close to the team ... it's smelly. And to top it all off, the game just went into overtime. However, the look on Troy's face when she catches his eye makes it all worth it.

Unfortunately as this game drags on and on, Sharpay is starting to have second thoughts. Then, it happens. A woman sits down next to her with a baby. He appears to be about six months old --- gigantic compared to Nickie. Still ... he's awfully cute and when he starts blowing bubbles at her, she can't help but blow them right back at him. Everything is going fine and the baby is offering a valuable distraction from the game until he cries. It's just a small cry ... a whimper, if you will, but after four weeks of being constantly around a baby, Sharpay knows exactly what that cry means and her body knows too. Before she realizes what's happening, Sharpay has that familiar pins and needles sensation in her breasts and she looks down with mortification to see that she's leaking straight through her new blouse --- the only one she owns that doesn't seem to shout, "Hey, look at me! I'm a nursing mother!"

Sharpay jumps up from her seat and in the process startling the baby into a full blown cry and drawing the attention of the surrounding fans. She quickly crossing her arms over her chest and bolts for the door. Troy, who is on the court when all this happens, doesn't even realize she's missing until the game is over.

By the time Sharpay arrives back home, she's in tears. She comes flying in the front door and surprises Lisa who is just settling Nickie into the wind-up swing.

"Sharpay? You startled me." Then noticing her surrogate-daughter's distress, quickly adds, "Oh, honey, what's the matter?"

"I...I..oh Mom, I leaked all over my new silk blouse. It's ruined!", Sharpay gasps out as she gives way to a full-fledged crying jag.

"Oh baby, it's okay. It's washable silk; I can get it out. Don't worry." Lisa moves to hug her, but Sharpay steps back from her suddenly.

"No, don't touch me. It'll just get me started again", Sharpay collapses onto the sofa with a defeated sigh. "I guess I'll just have to stay home until Nickie's weaned."

"Nonsense, Sharpay. Tomorrow, we'll go out and get you some breast pads. You wear them inside your bra; that'll take care of it."

"Go out?", Sharpay asks slowly.

"Oh, good point. I'll bring them to you."

Two weeks later...

It's the middle of the night on a quiet street in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's only two weeks before Christmas and decorations adorn every house, but most of the decorative lights have been turned off and the occupants are all sound asleep. Most are asleep. Unfortunately, for the residents of the Bolton household, it is anything but quiet.

Ear splitting, skull pounding, nerve shattering screaming is coming from inside the Bolton house. And it's all coming from the family's youngest member.

"Pleeease Nickie", Troy pleads as he walks his daughter back and forth across the floor, "You don't have to cry all the time."

The baby is inconsolable and her whole body arches out as she screams into his ear. Lisa comes staggering out of her bedroom and nearly runs directly into Troy when he turns around at the end of his walking circuit. He's been walking her and gently rubbing her back for the past twenty minutes, but to no avail. Nickie is still screaming.

"Here Troy, let me take her", Lisa insists.

Troy blinks once and immediately delivers his daughter into her grandmother's arms.

"There, there sweetie. Grammy has you now", Lisa says soothingly to little Nickie who continues to cry. Then, to Troy she says, "Go on back to bed, honey. I'll take care of her."

Troy just nods mutely and stumbles back to his room. Once inside, Sharpay blearily cracks open one eye and asks, "Where's the baby?"

"Mom's got her. She told me to go back to sleep." He crawls back into bed and flops down on his back. "I just don't understand it. She used to be such a good baby; what happened?"

"We've been over this before, Troy. It's colic; she can't help it. I seriously doubt she's enjoying this anymore than we are. ... Oh, I had my six week checkup today."

"Mmmm", Troy mumbles.

"You know what that means, right? You know ... sex. We've got the all clear. ... Hello? ... What happened to the teenage boy I live with?"

"The six week old infant sapped it all out of me. I'm just too darn tired, Shar."

"Yeah, me too" she says with a yawn, "We'll have to thank your mom in the morning. Right now, I'm going to sleep. ... Troy?"

He was already unconscious.

Three hours later, Sharpay creeps out of the bedroom and goes in search of her baby. Lisa never brought her back. Sharpay sees a light coming from the laundry room so she heads in that direction. Lisa is humming brightly to herself as she runs the iron across Jack's dress shirt. But what surprises Sharpay the most is what or rather who she sees sitting on the clothes dryer. Nickie is in her carseat and there is a strap securing her seat to the machine. The dryer is running and Nickie is sleeping deeply.

"What ... what's going on, Mom?", Sharpay asks in confusion.

"Oh, hi Sharpay. I didn't hear you come in. Were you able to get some rest?", Sharpay nods and Lisa continues, "Well, Nickie and I are just doing some laundry. The vibration and the white noise from the dryer is very soothing to her."

"Wow, that's amazing", then Sharpay amends, "You're amazing. This is the longest she's slept since ... well, since she was born."

"I'm not so amazing; I just have a little more experience than you do. Troy put us through the same thing. This was the only thing that worked for him, too."

"Well, I hate to do this, but I need to wake her up", Sharpay says reluctantly.

"Why on earth would you want to do that? Let her sleep; I'll bring her back when I'm finished here", Lisa explains as she hangs the newly ironed shirt on a clothes hanger.

"No, Mom. You don't understand. This is the _longest_ she's _ever_ slept. It's been over four hours since she's nursed and", Sharpay's voice drops to a whisper, even though they are the only two people in the house who are awake, "I'm getting _really_ uncomfortable. I need her_ now_."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have thought of that." Lisa unhooks the carseat and carries it into the living room. "Do you want to sit in here or go back to bed?"

"Here's fine. ... Oh, and we'll need to change the sheets when Troy gets up. I ... um ... sort of leaked all over them", Sharpay says in embarrassment.

Sharpay sits comfortably in the recliner and Lisa gently lifts Nickie out and hands her over. The baby awakens immediately when she smells her mother and starts frantically opening and closing her mouth, almost like a little bird.

"Hang on a sec, Nick. I'm pretty anxious for this to happen too."

The baby quickly latches on and Sharpay sinks back into the chair and breathes a sigh of relief.

"You're like an old pro at that now", Lisa comments as she picks up the carseat and places it in the corner.

"Well, since we've done this about ten times a day for six weeks ... that's like over 400 times, I think I've finally gotten the knack."

"So no more pain?"

"No, unless you count the engorgement I'm feeling right now."

"I'm very proud, Sharpay. Some girls your age wouldn't have the fortitude to stick with this."

"Thanks, Mom. But I really want to do what's best for her", then Sharpay lowers her voice and continues in a conspiratorial whisper, "And besides, there are other benefits too. This is the biggest I've _ever_ been." Sharpay looks down at her breasts to indicate which_ bigness_ she's talking about.

"Ah yes, I remember that too", Lisa says with a wink.

A week and a half later...

"You sure you're ready for this?", Troy asks as Sharpay buckles up her seatbelt in the passenger seat of his Camry.

"Of course I'm ready. I've kept up with my studies. I just do it at weird times ... like at three in the morning while I'm nursing the baby. I'm the queen of multi-tasking."

"That's not what I meant. I know you're ready for your finals, but are you ready to leave Nickie with my dad?", Troy asks as he backs the car out of the drive.

This is the final week of school before Winter Break and it's final exam week. For two half days of school, they will take exams for all six of their classes --- three exams each day, ending at noon. Since Sharpay has been keeping up with her studies at home, she's allowed to come in for the finals so she doesn't fall behind. And since Coach Bolton doesn't give exams in P.E., he volunteered to stay home with baby Nickie.

Sharpay exhales slowly before she answers. "I guess so", then she adds, "I hope so. Your dad's got two bottles of expressed milk which should be more than enough. Besides, if it wasn't so close to the end of the semester, I'd have to start back to school now anyway. It's really nice of Mr. Matsui to let me wait until after the new year."

Troy looks a little embarrassed at his next question. "Are you going to have to ... you know?", he asks while reaching up to lightly squeeze his own flat chest.

"Eww, tacky much", Sharpay says in disgust, indicating his mimicking of a breast pump. "Could you be any more crude? And no, I shouldn't have to...", she repeats his crude gesture with her own breasts, "if we go straight home after the tests."

"Good."

After all the tests are completed for that day, Sharpay walks quickly out to Troy's car.

"Hey, Sharpay! Wait up", Taylor calls to her as she and Gabriella rush to catch up with their friend.

"Oh, hi guys", Sharpay says as she looks around for Troy who is supposed to be meeting her now.

"Wow, you look great, Sharpay", Gabriella gushes. "No one would ever guess you just had a baby."

"Thanks, I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones", Sharpay tells her with a trademark flip of her long blond mane. She's not about to admit to these two that she's been working her butt off (literally) for the past five weeks. She's upped her running to five miles a day and added weights and stomach crunches and well, it's finally starting to pay off.

"That's not quite accurate, Gabi", Taylor points out, "She wasn't nearly that top-heavy before. Hey sista, welcome to the land of the full figured girl." Taylor adds as she indicates her own_ top-heaviness_.

Sharpay and Taylor laugh at the joke while Gabriella just chuckles awkwardly.

"It is different. Things jiggle that didn't jiggle before and ..." Before Sharpay can finish, they all look up to see Coach Bolton's blue pick-up truck pull to a stop in front of them.

Jack jumps out of the truck and runs around to the passenger side. As soon as he opens the door, everyone can hear the screaming baby from inside the vehicle.

"Oh no", Sharpay murmurs as she runs to the truck. Taylor and Gabriella follow her in concern.

"Coach, what's wrong?"

Jack quickly unbuckles the carseat and then, the baby and lifts the crying Nickie Bolton out of the seat.

"Sharpay", he shouts over the screaming, "I'm sorry, but she wouldn't take the bottle. I've tried everything." He frantically plops the baby into Sharpay's arms. Then, he pushes the carseat over to the driver's side and indicates that she should sit in the truck.

"It's okay sweetie", Sharpay tries to sooth the crying infant as she dutifully sits down in the truck and immediately pulls up her blouse to feed her.

"Oh! I'll just go check on something in my office", Jack says nervously before he runs off.

"Wow, that was something", Taylor comments. She and Gabriella are still standing next to the truck, somewhat dumbstruck by the whole preceding event.

"I guess this is my fault", Sharpay says, "I should have practiced giving her a bottle before now. I guess you'd say we're sort of attached at the boob."

"How long do you have to do that?", Gabriella asks.

"Well, my doctor says it's best if I can nurse for her whole first year."

"But how can you do that, if you're in school?"

"I plan on pumping a couple of times during the day and then, the daycare center where Mrs. Bolton works will give Nickie the bottles and then, Mrs. Bolton will bring her home with her at two o'clock", finishes Sharpay, quite satisfied with her plan.

"Seems like an awful lot of work. Why don't you just give her formula? It would be easier."

"I don't want easier. I want what's best for her. My own mother didn't even try and I'm not going to be like her", Sharpay spits out vehemently. The baby senses her mother's distress and starts to fuss. "Shhh, it's okay, Nick. I'm not going _anywhere_."

"Well, I think it's wonderful what you're doing", Taylor tells her sincerely. "Hey, after exams are finished tomorrow, we're planning on going out for lunch to celebrate. You and Troy want to come?"

"Oh, I don't..."

"Please Sharpay... We've hardly seen you at all the last month and you could bring Nickie with you", Gabriella pleads.

"I'll talk to Troy and we'll see."

Troy is actually very excited when Sharpay tells him about lunch. He's had some offers to go out with the guys after practice and after a game, but he's always turned them down because he didn't want to seem like he was running out on Sharpay when he knew she wouldn't go with him. Therefore, after they finish the last of their finals, Troy and Sharpay swing by to pick up little Nickie. The baby faired much better today since Lisa decided to stay home with her. Sharpay nursed her briefly when they picked her up and then, the three of them head out to lunch.

They meet the gang at Al's, a retro 50's diner, complete with small juke boxes at every table and waitresses dressed in 1950's uniforms.

"Hey, guys", Taylor greets them as they join the group which has procured a table large enough to hold everyone. Troy is carrying the carseat with Nickie and Sharpay takes one of the wooden high chairs that the restaurant provides and turns it upside down and puts it at the end of the table. With the seat upside down, it makes the perfect holder for the carseat. They work together in sync like old pros.

"Hi, guys", Troy says as he sits down on the left of Nickie. Sharpay takes the right. "Can you believe it? It's only three more days til Christmas."

"Yeah, it's incredible. What's everyone's plans for the holidays?", Gabriella asks with interest.

They went around the table and told in turn their exciting holiday plans --- Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, and Jason. When it came back to Troy and Sharpay, Sharpay takes the lead.

"Well, we aren't going anywhere, but my dad and his family are coming with Ryan and my grandparents are coming from New York state. My grandfather is a Methodist minister and he wants to christen Nickie."

A few 'Aahh's are heard from the girls at the table.

"How 'bout you, Gabriella? What are your plans?", Troy asks his former girlfriend.

"Oh, my mom and I are spending a quiet day here ... just the two of us ... for Christmas and then, we're meeting some relatives at the same ski resort we went to last year for New Year's. You remember which one, right Troy?", Gabriella explains and drips her head shyly as she finishes.

"Um ... yeah, I remember", Troy says quietly.

Sharpay quickly takes in the look that passes between them. "What ... ski ... resort?", Sharpay demands, suspiciously.

Both Gabriella and Troy's eyes grow wide at Sharpay's tone.

"Uh ... um", Troy falters.

"Oh look!", shouts Chad, "Little Nickie's awake. Then, to everyone's shock and surprise, Chad hops up from his seat and runs around to the carseat where he quickly unbuckles her and gently lifts her out. "Hi, there Miss Bolton. And how are you?", Chad squeaks to the baby in a high-pitched voice as he fusses over the baby. "What a lovely ensemble you're wearing today."

The baby stares back at him with wide eyes. In fact, everyone at the table is staring at him with the same expression.

"Chad? What, _exactly_, do you think you're doing?", Sharpay clips.

"Just", Chad squeaks, and then, quickly clears his throat and starts again with his voice lower, "Just getting reacquainted with the little one here. After all, she is wearing my shirt."

Indeed, Nickie is dressed in the "Drama Queen in Training" onesie with long pants and little pink socks.

"Look at that she's looking at me", Chad exclaims, "She's concentrating like she's trying to remember where she saw me last. Isn't that amazing?"

"You're right, Chad. She is concentrating, but it's not on you", Sharpay explains.

Just then, Nickie's face screws up tightly and she lets out a large grunt.

"Oh no, did she just do what I think she just did?", asks Chad with a mortified look on his face.

"Yep, that she did", confirms Troy.

Sharpay stands up to retrieve the baby. "I'll take her." She picks up the diaper bag and walks off with the baby towards the bathroom. Then, she stops after only taking a few steps and turns back to Troy. "We're not finish with this, you know."

Troy sinks down into the chair and looks over at Chad. "Good try, man."

"What are friends for?", Chad replies. "Hey, why don't just make life easier on both of us and marry that gir...yowwwl...what'd you do that for, Tay?" Chad exclaims to his girlfriend sitting next to him who has just punched him in the shoulder.

"Chad!", she exclaims back at him.

"It's okay, Taylor. I've tried."

"You have?", both Chad and Taylor ask simultaneously and it's obvious by their tone that Troy's revelation is a big surprise.

"Yeah, I've asked her three times already. I even have a ring, but she keeps turning me down ... says she doesn't want to make the same mistake her parents made", then Troy takes a deep breath before continuing. "I love her so much."

Gabriella reaches over and gently pats him on the back, but doesn't say anything.

"That's a bummer man", Chad comments vaguely. It's clear that he's uncomfortable with this conversation, but his eyes light up immediately when he says, "Oh look, there's the waitress with our food."

Sharpay has just finished changing Nickie's diaper and has somehow managed to wash her hands while at the same time balancing the baby. Then, she hears sniffling coming from one of the stalls. The old Sharpay would have flipped her hair, checked her appearance in the mirror and left without a second thought. However, this new maternal Sharpay is different. This Sharpay flips her hair, checks her appearance in the mirror and then, slowly approaches the closed stall door to offer help.

She taps lightly on the door and asks, "Um..hi, are you okay in there?"

"Go away", whimpers back an eerily familiar voice.

"Melissa? Melissa Fields? Is that you?", Sharpay asks in concern.

"Sharpay?", she asks timidly.

"Yeah, it's me. You wanna open the door? Maybe I could help."

Slowly the lock on the door slides open and Melissa Fields steps out. However, it's a very different looking Melissa Fields than the one Sharpay saw in the summer. No longer is she the peppy cheerleader with perfect hair and makeup. This Melissa has disheveled hair that was in need of a good dye job two months ago and the make-up on her overly done face is streaming down her cheeks, leaving behind a trail of black tears.

Sharpay leads her over to the small sofa tucked into the corner. It always amazes Sharpay at how often one finds furniture in public ladies rooms. Melissa is still crying and when she tries to talk it just comes out as a choked gasp.

"It's okay, Melissa. Just relax and try to catch your breath", Sharpay gently advises her.

"Oookay", she sniffles. Then, Melissa notices the baby in Sharpay's arms for the first time. "Yyou had your baby? She's cute."

"Thanks; she's seven weeks old, almost eight", Sharpay says proudly, "But I would have thought everyone at school would have known already. Gossip seems to fly around there."

"I wouldn't know", Melissa says slowly, "I ... um ... dropped out after the first month."

"You dropped out of school?", Sharpay asks incredulously, "But why?"

"Um ... I met a guy and, well, he just sort of seemed more important than school. So I left home, moved in with him ... He's twenty-one, by the way", she adds hastily.

"Wow, that's ... wow."

"Yeah, so here I am now. My boyfriend broke up with me fifteen minutes ago and left me here alone. My mom won't let me come back home. And all because I'm ... I'm ... I'm pregnant."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry." And only after Sharpay makes the statement does she realize that she really is sorry. She doesn't hold any ill-will against this girl and she feels true sympathy towards her. "How far along are you?"

"I'm ... I'm not sure. I took one of those tests from the drug store."

Sharpay nods in understanding and shifts Nickie onto her shoulder and starts gently kneading her back to lull her to sleep. "Do you have anywhere you can go? Anyone to stay with? Relatives or something?"

"Noooo", she wails as she bursts into a fresh round of tears.

"Oh honey, it's going to be okay. I promise", Sharpay tells her as she tries to awkwardly sooth her and Nickie at the same time.

"How can you say that? Your boyfriend didn't dump you when he found out you were pregnant."

"Sssh... Now just listen to me a minute. I have an idea. There's a wonderful place in Colorado. It's run by nuns and they'll take care of you and your baby. Come on, Melissa, it's all going to work out. Trust me."

Sharpay helps Melissa wash her face and make herself more presentable before she takes her back to the table and rejoins the group. Everyone welcomes Melissa and no one asks any questions after Sharpay shoots them all death glares from behind Melissa's back. After they all finish lunch, Troy and Sharpay bring Melissa home with them. The Boltons agree to let her stay in their guest room. After all, Christmas is the season of giving. That same day, Sharpay calls Mother Michel in Colorado Springs and tells her about Melissa and her situation. The Home sends Sister Mary Elizabeth the very next day to pick her up. With promises to keep in touch and let everyone know when the baby is born, Sharpay and Melissa give each other a big hug and tearfully part ways.

After she leaves, Troy and Sharpay are alone in the house with Nickie who is sleeping in the baby swing. The Boltons have gone out to the grocery store to stock up for Sharpay's relatives who will be arriving tomorrow. Sharpay takes Troy's hand and looks him in the eye soberly. Troy thinks he knows what's on her mind and decides to face it head-on.

"It's about that ski resort, isn't it?", he starts and before she can respond, he continues, "It was a long time ago Shar --- a year and a lifetime. I'm sorry I never explained before just how we met, but ..."

She stops him by placing her fingers to his lips. "Sssh, it's not about that. I don't care about that anymore. It's just ... well, seeing Melissa again has reminded me what a special guy you really are. I could just as easily have been her --- left alone with no one to turn to."

"I could never do that, Shar", Troy says sincerely as he draws her into a passionate kiss.

She pushes him away after a few minutes and she can see the hurt in his eyes.

"Don't be silly. I'm not rejecting you; I just think we should take this some place else."

"But what about...", he motions his head over to the swing.

"I've actually given this some thought."

Five minutes later, they have very carefully moved the baby swing with Nickie still in it into their bedroom and placed it in the center of the room.

"What exactly do you have in mind, Sharpay?", Troy asks as he watches her wind up the swing to the maximum.

"You know we really should have bought one of those new battery-powered swings instead of using your old wind-up one", Sharpay says casually as she walks slowly back to the bed.

"Once again ... what do you have in mind?"

She is still walking towards the bed and has her back to him as she slowly starts to peel her blouse over her head.

Troy swallows hard and manages to hasp out in a swallow whisper, "...with the baby in the room?"

She turns around and takes both of his hands in hers and pulls him back towards the bed with her walking backwards. When the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she sits down and starts to unbutton his pants.

"She's asleep and she'll stay asleep as long as we keep that swing wound up. Now let's see what we've been missing these past eight weeks."

"It's sixty-five days, actually", he groans out as Sharpay starts distracting him with her mouth.

"Mmmm", she mumbles, "You mean you counted?"

"Hey, I'm a guy. It's what we do ... Aaaah, oh God, Shar." He reaches forward to balance himself by holding onto her shoulders.

"Mmmm, luus soo wu als gus ca du."

"Whaaat?", he asks huskily.

She pulls back and giggles, "Sorry, my bad ... shouldn't talk with my mouth full. I said, _let's see what else guys can do_."

TBC

BTW, I forgot to do the dates in the last chapter. Lisa Nicole was born at 3:07AM on Sunday, October 29, 2006.

Start date for this chapter: Monday, October 30, 2006. Nickie: 1 day old.

End date: Saturday, December 23, 2006. Nickie: one day short of 8 weeks old.

A/N 1: Good news and bad news. I had a long talk with my Beta and she's come up with a plausible and fitting ending to this mammoth. She actually asked me if I was going to keep it going until Nickie got to college. haha. Soooo, if everything goes as scheduled, the next chapter will probably be the last. Sniff...sniff.

A/N 2: I had almost finished this chapter when I remembered that I'd forgotten basketball season. So then I had to write in that little segment about Sharpay at the game. Oh, and the inspiration for the 'baby crying causing leakage' ... that came from that weird lady I worked for in the maternity shop. See her stories didn't just end with the birth of her child, they kept going and going and ... well, you get it. When my extraordinarily long summer with her ended, she was telling me all about how they had to put this alarm pad on her son's bed (he was 3 by then) which would go off when he wet the bed. Oh the joys of parenthood.

A/N 3: Regarding Taylor's bust line. I never really noticed it in HSM1. But since they're wearing more form fitting clothes in HSM2, I did notice that the actress who plays Taylor is much more well-endowed than her co-stars. Not that I'm staring at her breasts or anything...eww.

As always, gentle readers, please Read and Review. Thank you.


	40. Ch 39: Christmas

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: Okay, guys. This was supposed to be the last chapter, but it's getting too long, so I decided to break it up. Please read, enjoy, and review. Thanks.

**Chapter 39: Christmas**

"Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...", Troy reads aloud from the large picture book as he holds Nickie in his lap. The eight week old is staring with rapt attention with her unblinking blue eyes at the brightly colored pictures in the book as she and her father sit comfortably on the large sofa.

Sharpay is nervously pacing back and forth across the floor.

"Sharpay, calm down. Everything's going to be fine. They're going to love you", Troy reassures as he looks up from the book.

"How can you say that? Come on, Troy. He's a minister for Chr...I mean, for crying out loud. And here I am ... their unwed teenage granddaughter with their first grandchild", Sharpay stops pacing and faces Troy, "What would you do if you were them?"

"Well...now let's see. I can't put myself in the same position as your grandfather, but if I was your dad and you were Nickie... The first thing I'd do ... is kill me", Troy says with a smile. "So you don't have anything to worry about. I'm the one who should be hiding."

"Oh, you're no help. What time is it now? How much longer?", she asks anxiously.

"It's five minutes later than the last time you asked me. It's 3:15. They should be here around four o'clock, so that's forty-five more minutes. I can't believe they're driving all the way from New York state."

"Me neither, but Dad says Grandma doesn't like flying, so they drive everywhere." Sharpay finally calms down enough to sit down beside Troy and Nickie. Nickie, for her part, is unimpressed by the whole thing and has decided to take a little nap on her daddy's chest.

"And your dad and his family should be here by five."

"Now that ... I'm looking forward to. I can't wait to see Ryan", Sharpay says honestly. "We've never been apart this long in our whole lives. It's weird, you know, I just sort of always assumed that he'd _always_ be there. Now it seems like we're growing apart", Sharpay sighs and then, lays her head down on Troy's shoulder. Nickie has finally started sleeping through the night, but last night it was Troy's turn to keep Sharpay up. Their lovemaking had been slow and sweet, both of them savoring each other after such a long absence. It was also exhausting as they came together many times throughout the night, only able to have short cat-naps in between. Sharpay quickly succumbs to the lure of Troy's warm shoulder and falls asleep. Troy looks down lovingly at both of them and, realizing that he is trapped, decides to join his little family in a nap.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans... welcome, welcome", Lisa exclaims excitedly to the older couple standing at her door. "Please, come right in. I'm Lisa Bolton."

A man of medium height with iron-gray hair and a petite woman with silver streaks in her shoulder-length dark hair follow Lisa into the house. They appear to be in their early sixties.

"Please call us Henry and Elizabeth", Mrs. Evans insists.

"Of course. You must be exhausted after such a long trip."

"A bit", agrees Henry Evans, "but we're more anxious to meet our granddaughter and great-grandchild."

"Well, then follow me. They're just in here", Lisa says, indicating the living room, "In fact, I'm surprised they haven't come out already to see you."

The three of them walk into the room and all of them immediately fall silent and smile at the sight. Troy is leaning back on the sofa with Nickie securely held in his arms. Sharpay is curled into his side with her head on his shoulder and Troy, in turn, has his head leaning down on her head. The two women can't help but let out a quiet "Aaah" at the sight. At that moment, Nickie blinks her eyes and starts to stir. Lisa quickly creeps over and gently eases her out of Troy's arms before she awakens her parents.

"There's my big girl", coos Lisa while she whisks her from the room.

The Evans couple follows her out and they all retreat to the kitchen.

"Oh, she's an angel", purrs Elizabeth. "May I?", she asks, indicating that she take the baby.

"Certainly", Lisa hands Nickie over. "I think Miss Bolton here is in dire need of a new diaper. Would you like to do the honors?"

Mrs. Evans nods and the ladies leave Mr. Evans alone in the kitchen. A few seconds later, Jack walks in the kitchen door with Ryan, their dad and his family in tow.

"Look who just drove up", Jack announces. He had been out at the store buying ice when the older Evans couple arrived and missed their entrance. The younger Evans' drove up at the same time as Jack.

Father and son greet each other with hugs and well wishes and then, Henry grows quiet when he sees Ryan. "My goodness, Bill, he looks just like you at that age."

"Yeah, I agree with you, Dad. You should see Shrpay. She's identical to ..."

"I know Bill", Henry Evans interrupts, cutting off his son before he mentioned the name of his former daughter-in-law. The Christmas holidays are a happy time and not a time for remembering the likes of Judith Evans. "I saw her", he continues, "She's a beautiful girl."

Henry and Elizabeth Evans haven't seen their eldest two grandchildren since they were five years old. They've exchanged photographs, of course, in the last few months; but this is the first time they've seen them in person.

"Where's Sharpay?", Ryan asks excitedly.

"She's asleep right now with Troy", Lisa informs them all as she and Elizabeth Evans reenter the kitchen. Elizabeth is still holding the baby.

"Oh...", Ryan says with embarrassment.

"Oh Ryan, honey, not like that", Elizabeth explains with a chuckle. "They fell asleep on the sofa. Parenthood isn't easy, you know, but I have the little angel right here."

Everyone spends the next few minutes oohhing and aahhing over the baby. Jennifer, Bill's wife, and their twins were especially thrilled about the baby. It seems that they have just found out that they're expecting again. The twins are very excited about having a younger sibling.

All the noise and talking cause Troy and Sharpay to finally wake up. They both stumble into the kitchen where the entire family is still gathered. Everyone is so caught up in their enjoyment of the baby and with being reunited that they aren't even aware that Troy and Sharpay have joined them.

"Um...hi guys", Troy says shyly, feeling a bit out of place in his own house.

"Troy, Sharpay...", Ryan takes it upon himself to be the mediator between the two families. Another round of introductions and hugs and kisses are exchanged until little Nickie announces, rather loudly, that it's her mealtime. Sharpay retreats back to the bedroom to feed her.

Sharpay is relaxing with her head leaning back against her propped up pillow while Nickie nurses with vigor. She read somewhere that a woman's body releases endorphins when she breastfeeds and it helps her to relax.

A light knock at the door pulls her from her thoughts. She quickly checks to see that she is fully covered and says, "Come in."

Ryan slowly enters with his eyes locked firmly in the floor.

"Ry...it's okay to look up. You can't see anything", Sharpay reassures him with a chuckle.

"Sorry", he mumbles and he does finally raise his head slowly.

"Come over here, Ry. Sit down", she says as she urges him to sit next to her on the bed.

Ryan slowly walks over the sits, but his eyes are surveying the room and quickly noticing how much of Troy's things are there. "Is this Troy's room, Shar?"

"Yeah, we share it", she says quietly. As Ryan's disapproving look, she continues, "We share a child, Ryan. We share a life."

"God, Shar. This is all just so awkward, you know. I mean my biggest concern right now is whether I'll find a date on New Year's Eve and you're ... like an adult. I'm not sure I can relate to you anymore."

"Oh, Ryan... please don't be like that. I've missed you so much. You're my other half."

Ryan reaches over a takes her hand. His eyes lock on hers. "I've missed you too, Shar." Then, he gives her an awkward one armed hug while trying not to disturb Nickie. Ryan then, lightly strokes Nickie's fuzzy blond hair. "She really is beautiful."

"Thanks."

"I guess it's hard not to grow up when you've got this little one to take care of."

"Yeah."

There's an awkward silence between the two of them until Sharpay speaks up.

"Remember what we always used to do on Christmas Eve?", Sharpay asks as she discreetly puts her pinky finger into Nickie's mouth to release the baby' suction. Then, she pulls Nickie up to her shoulder for burping, being careful to pull her shirt down in the process. Nickie is sound asleep as usual --- milk-drunk, Lisa calls it.

"You mean sneaking downstairs and hiding behind the sofa to see Santa Claus delivering the presents?", Ryan chuckles.

"No and I'd forgotten all about that. Gosh, we did that before Daddy left; so we must have been four years old at the most, right?", Sharpay asks.

"Yeah, because when Dad left, so did Santa", Ryan says quietly.

"I remember...", Sharpay whispers as she looks lovingly at her own child and vows never to be like their mother.

When their parents divorced, Judith Evans decided it was the prime time to destroy all of their childhood fantasies --- Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny. She sat them down and very calming and precisely explained that those were all just myths to placate some children and feed into their delusional fantasy worlds. Her children would not live like that.

"Actually...", Sharpay starts, shaking herself out of those painful memories, "I was talking about the Christmas carols."

"Christmas carols? --- you mean, those God awful production numbers that Mom used to make us perform for her ritzy friends?"

"Nooooo", Sharpay says as she makes a horrible face, "I mean when you and I would sit at the piano when Mother was out at one of her dozens of Christmas parties and our nanny was passed out on the sofa after drinking all the spiked eggnog."

"Oh yeah, that really was fun."

"Let's do it tonight", Sharpay says excitedly.

"What? In front of everyone?", Ryan gasps.

"Oh come on, Ry. These people are our family now --- Jack and Lisa, Troy, Daddy, Jennifer, Robbie and Lizzie, Grandma and Grandpa..."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Do the Boltons even have a piano?"

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After a wonderful home cooked dinner, the blended family sits down in the living room for dessert and more talking. Sharpay gives Ryan a wink and he stands up to announce the evening's entertainment. The Boltons do, indeed, have a piano. Nothing like the baby grand that Judith owned, but it will do nicely and it's sitting in the corner of the room.

"This has been my and Sharpay's private little Christmas tradition for as long as we can remember", Ryan says as he sits down at the piano. Sharpay takes her place, sitting by Ryan.

"But we talked and decided that it's time to let the rest of our family, our true family, in on it", Sharpay explains.

Ryan warms up by running through the scales a couple of times. Then, nodding to Sharpay, he starts playing and they both begin singing...

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your hearts be light. From now on, your troubles will be out of sight..."

After two duets, the twins convince the rest of the family to join them. The piano is slightly out of tune and so are the voices, but it is the best Christmas that any of them can remember.

Since there's no extra room at the Boltons, all of the Evans, with the exception of Ryan, are staying at a hotel. Ryan is sleeping on a blow-up mattress in Nickie's room, since she's still sleeping in the bassinet in Sharpay and Troy's room. So after putting a sign on the mantel to let Santa know that this is the correct address for Robbie and Lizzie Evans, the Evans' retire to their hotel room.

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"Troy? Troy?", Sharpay whispers frantically to Troy, who is finally enjoying a full night's sleep.

"Wha? What's wrong?", Troy asks groggily.

"There's some weird noises coming from the living room."

"Well, maybe it's Santa", Troy grumbles as he turns back over to go back to sleep.

"Trooooy..."

"Okay, okay... I'll go check."

Troy stumbles out of the room and barely hears Sharpay's anxious, "Be careful."

As he creeps down the hallway, Troy actually starts to feel a little nervous when he hears something that sounds like banging and muffled cursing coming from the family room. He cautiously peeks into the room, fully prepared to run like heck down to his parent's room. However, what he sees causes him to nearly double over in laughter.

Sitting in the middle of the room are his dad and Sharpay's dad surrounded by, what looks like, one hundred small metal bicycle parts. His dad is reading the instructions and Sharpay's dad is looking frustrated while sucking on his right thumb.

"Um, hi guys. Need any help?", Troy offers.

Bill Evans, realizing how ridiculous he looks with his thumb in his mouth, quickly pulls it out. "This isn't what it looks like. I ... uh ... just banged my thumb is all."

"What are you two doing? It's three o'clock in the morning."

"Well, son... It's one of the many joys of fatherhood", Jack explains. "We're assembling Christmas presents."

"Yep, we're putting together the bikes that Santa's going to give the twins tomorrow", Bill adds. "You should probably take notes. You'll be doing this too in a few years."

Troy sits down and picks up a random piece of metal pipe and turns it over in his hand, trying to figure out what it is.

"What going on?", Sharpay asks as she walks quietly into the room.

"Oh, our dads are playing Santa." And then, at Sharpay's confused look, Troy adds, "They're putting together bikes for Robbie and Lizzie."

"Oh... well look, I'm going back to bed." And then, addressing the two older men, she adds threateningly, "This is only the second night that Nickie's ever slept all night and if the two of you wake her up, you're stuck with her for the rest of the night." She turns on her heel and looks back at Troy. "You coming?"

"Naw, I think I'll stay and help. It'll be good practice for me."

"Whatever ... I'd just pay the extra twenty bucks and have the store assemble them", Sharpay snaps and then disappears back down the hall.

The two older men look at each other and exclaim simultaneously. "Why didn't we think of that?"

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Christmas morning finds the house full of people starting at seven o'clock in the morning. The younger twins had finally convinced their parents to bring them over to find out what Santa brought. Naturally early risers, Lisa and Jack are already awake. Unnaturally, early risers, Troy and Sharpay are already awake because of the demanding Lisa Nicole Bolton. In fact, the only person who is still asleep on this most exciting morning of the year is Ryan Evans. For he is the only person in the house who truly sleeps like a baby. That's going to change very soon.

"So here's our POA...", Troy explains to the huddled group of Sharpay, Robbie, and Lizzie crouched outside Ryan's door.

"POA?", Sharpay asks with a smirk, "What's a POA?"

"Plan . Of . Attack", Troy explains.

"Oh."

"Anyway, you", Troy points to Robbie, "are RECON."

Sharpay irritatingly clears her throat, "Recon?"

"Reconnaissance", Troy clips.

"What's re-con-essense?", Lizzie asks slowly.

"It means Robbie goes in first and looks around to see if it's safe for us to come in."

"Oh", all three of the Evans' says simultaneously.

"Then, if his report is affirmative...that means 'yes'", Troy explains before anyone can ask, "We attack ... with you", Troy points to Lizzie, "manning the lip gloss and you", he points to Sharpay, "in charge of blush. Roger?"

"My name's Robbie", Robbie says indignantly.

"Noooo..._roger_ means 'do you understand'", Troy nearly moans.

Sharpay rolls her eyes and then gets a mischievous look on her face. "Alright troops! Execute Plan Evans-Beta-3!", she shouts in an authoritative voice.

At that point Ryan comes storming out of his room and tackles Troy, able to bowl him over quickly by catching him by surprise. Then, Robbie and Ryan hold him down, while Sharpay and Lizzie get creative with the make-up. By the time it's all over, Troy has strawberry-flavored lip gloss smeared over most of his face and a distasteful amount actually inside his mouth and Sharpay has his cheeks so rosey he looks like a clown. Everyone is giggling uncontrollably, even Troy.

"Wai...wait a minute. You four had this planned all along. You set me up", Troy gasps through his laughter.

"Yep", Ryan confirms, "you don't mess with the Evans twins ... especially when there's two sets of us."

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Ten minutes later, everyone settles down to eat breakfast with Troy still sporting his impromptu make-over. The ladies, excluding Lizzie, who's playing with her gifts from Santa and Elizabeth who is watching Nickie, clean up the kitchen. Troy, Jack and Bill are snoozing in various locations around the living room. The bicycles turned out beautifully, but it took them until nearly five o'clock to finish. Therefore, Ryan volunteers to take the younger twins outside to try out their new bikes.

When the kitchen clean-up is finished, everyone reconvenes around the Christmas tree to open their presents. Sharpay's grandparents give everyone loads of new clothes, especially Nickie. Sharpay's favorite is the white christening dress which Nickie will wear tomorrow during the ceremony. Elizabeth also knitted each of her grandchildren a warm winter sweater. The Arizona Evans will wear theirs when they go skiing next week in Colorado.

Troy pulls Sharpay over to the corner so they can exchange gifts in private. Great-grandma Elizabeth is feeding Nickie a bottle which Sharpay pumped earlier. Since she will be starting back to school after Winter Break, Sharpay decided to start Nickie on the school schedule now to get her used to it. Therefore, she takes milk from a bottle at mid-morning and early-afternoon.

"Hey Shar", Troy starts shyly, "I just wanted to give you this without everyone watching us."

Sharpay, in turn, hands him his gift from her. She has an idea what's in the small velvet box that Troy gives her and she decides that today would be the day when she finally says yes to his proposal. She lets a small smile come over her face.

"Go ahead, open it", Troy encourages her.

"No, I want you to open yours first", Sharpay tells him, realizing that after she sees the engagement ring, everyone will forget about Troy's present.

Troy tears into the paper covering the rectangular box. He rips it open to reveal ... a New Mexico state license plate. A huge smile comes over him when he reads what's written on it: NICKIE.

"Wow! Is this a real plate?"

"Yep, Mom helped me order it. You can put it right on your car. It's all paid up for two years."

"This is fantastic. Thanks, babe", Troy says honestly as he reaches over the gives her a quick peck on the mouth. "Now it's your turn. Open it up; I want to see the look on your face."

"Don't you want to ask me something first?", she fishes.

"Ummmm, well, not really", Troy replies, clearly not understanding what she's talking about.

Sharpay's eyes narrow to small slits as she slowly opens the box to reveal ... a necklace. _ A necklace? Where's my ring? Maybe ._.. Sharpay quickly pulls the little cardboard insert out to look under it for her ring. There's nothing there. Puzzled, she looks back up at Troy who is looking worried.

"Don't you like it? See that's Nickie in the middle and the two larger figures are us", Troy explains as he points out the three small silver figures on the necklace. It has two larger figures holding hands with each other and also holding hands with a smaller silver figure --- the three of them forming a circle.

"Oh, it's wonderful", Sharpay says unconvincingly, but Troy doesn't seem to notice.

"Great, I was really worried about it. I mean I've been looking for something that would symbolize the three of us and I finally found this. Here let me put it on you", he offers as he lifts the necklace from her hand and fastens it around her neck. "It looks great; you look really good in silver."

_Yeah_, thinks Sharpay. _I look really good in diamonds, too._

Aloud, she says, "Thank you, Troy. It's wonderful." _He looks so proud of himself. I can't hurt his feelings. Stupid Sharpay! What made you think he would even ask again? After all, I've turned him down three times now. He's probably given up on me._

TBC

A/N: One more to go, I promise. I'm going to start on it right now, so it shouldn't be long til it's up.

I thought the scene with Ryan was a little weak, but the fun scene with everyone attacking Troy made up for it.

Here's the pendant that Troy gave Sharpay (except it's silver):

pregnancystore dot com/lovingfamilypendants dot htm

Start date: Sunday, December 24, 2006. Nickie: 8 weeks old.

End date: Monday, December 25, 2006.


	41. Ch 40: Christening and New Beginnings

**Unlove You**

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

**Chapter 40: Christening and New Beginnings**

Elizabeth Evans is sitting in the large recliner in the Bolton family room giving her great-granddaughter a bottle. Little Nickie is staring up at her with big blue eyes as Elizabeth sings softly to her. Nickie is wearing her white christening gown and her great-grandmother is wearing a conservative blue dress and pearls. Sharpay enters the room quietly and takes a seat near her on the well-worn, but comfortable sofa. The men are all outside waiting to leave for the church and Lisa and Jennifer are finishing up some last minute things in the kitchen.

"Hi sweetheart", Elizabeth says in greeting to Sharpay.

"Hi", Sharpay says quietly and then, adds awkwardly, "Um...we haven't actually had much of a chance to talk."

"No, things have been rather hectic the last two days." Elizabeth Evans has a very smooth, soothing tone. One could never imagine that she would ever find an occasion to raise her voice. "Nickie's a beautiful baby, Sharpay. She's reminds me so much of you when you were this age."

"Really? I think she looks like Troy. I mean, she has his eyes." Indeed, her dark blue, newborn eyes are already starting to lighten.

Elizabeth looks contemplatively at Nickie whose eyes are just starting to droop. "His color, perhaps. But the shape of the eye is the same as yours ... the same as ..." She trails off into silence and cautiously looks up at Sharpay.

"I know I look like her and every time you look at me you can't help but see her, but please believe me. I am not Judith Evans and I promise I will never become her", Sharpay says seriously.

"You're right and I apologize if it seems like we're treating you like that. You're not her, but it is hard for me to look at you and not be reminded of when you were born. It was a very hard time for your mother. Her family ... didn't offer any support. They thought she married 'beneath' her."

"I...I didn't know that. I mean her father left her money ... I always thought they were close."

"Not hardly. I think Judith's father was planning on removing her from the will, but he died before he could do it", Elizabeth finishes with a sigh. She removes Nickie's bottle from her mouth and puts the baby up on her shoulder for her mid-bottle burp. "Would you like to take her for the second half?", the older woman offers her granddaughter.

"Oh no, she won't take a bottle from me", Sharpay explains. It's not unusual for a breastfed baby to refuse a bottle from its mother.

"Of course, ... I forgot", Elizabeth murmurs.

They enjoy a few moments of companionable silence until they are interrupted by Nickie's loud belch. The two women chuckle quietly.

"See ... I told you she was just like Troy", Sharpay comments with a smile.

"Henry's very excited about the christening today. He was very pleased when you asked him to perform it."

"When I ...? But I thought you asked us. That's what Daddy said", the young mother says in confusion.

"Oh my ... I think we have a case of my son playing at matchmaking ... of a sort."

They sit for a minute thinking about this new revelation.

"Well ... I, for one, am glad he did it", Elizabeth finally decides. "Life is too short for our family to continue to be divided."

"I'm really glad he did it too. And it's better that's it's here in Albuquerque. I know it must be embarrassing for Grandpa...". At Elizabeth's puzzled expression, Sharpay continues, "Well... you know ... to christen his own great-granddaughter when she's ... illegitimate." Sharpay's voice has dropped to a whisper. She stares down at the floor and quickly wipes away a single tear that is trailing down her cheek.

"Oh Sharpay, don't ever think that. Henry and I don't live in a box. We understand that the world has changed a lot since when we were starting out. Young people today are under tremendous pressure from every side. However, that said, ... I feel I must be completely honest and tell you that we would have definitely preferred it if you had waited. You're both just so very young to be parents. You're not even adults yourself."

Her kind words and honesty just causes Sharpay to cry harder. Lisa enters the room at that moment. She always seems to have excellent instincts about when she's needed. Seeing the scene playing out before her, she offers to take Nickie so the two Evans women can speak in private. Elizabeth quickly moves over to the sofa and sits down beside Sharpay while pulling her into a hug. Sharpay willingly accepts the comforting gesture and buries her head in her grandmother's shoulder.

"There ... there, dear. It's nothing to be upset about", Elizabeth says comfortingly.

Sharpay sniffles and mumbles back to her, "I'm not upset. I'm happy." Then, she pulls back to look her grandmother in the eye. "I mean ... I was so scared of meeting you. I thought you would hate me and to find out how wrong I was ... well, I'm just happy ... I guess."

Elizabeth hands Sharpay a tissue that she pulls out of nowhere. It's amazing how older women seem to always have tissues at hand.

"Thank you", Sharpay mumbles.

Elizabeth reaches over and lifts the necklace from Sharpay's neck to see it better.

"This is lovely, Sharpay. Was this from Troy?"

"Yes, ma'am. It was my Christmas present", Sharpay explains with a sad look in her eyes.

Sensing what she is thinking, Elizabeth says, "But it wasn't what you were expecting, was it?"

Sharpay jerks her head up quickly and looks at her grandmother in awe. _How did she know that?_

"Am I that obvious?"

Elizabeth lets the necklace falls back down before replying.

"No, not at all. I'm just that insightful", Elizabeth says as she tucks a piece of Sharpay's hair behind her ear. "And don't worry, dear. My insightfulness also tells me that you won't be waiting much longer."

"Oh, it's not him, Grandma. It's me. He has asked me ... three times. I just wasn't ready before and I wanted it to be for the right reasons. And now that I am ready ... well, I'm afraid he's given up."

"Not your Troy. He's a keeper and he's not going to let you get away either. Now, I think we need to do a little repair work on your face and get ready to go."

Both women rise and walk towards the bathroom when Sharpay suddenly stops walking and touches her grandmother's arm.

"Hey, I just remembered something. Daddy told me _Sharpay_ was an old family name and I was named after you, but your name's Elizabeth. So what's with that?"

"Oh that, well ...", Elizabeth Evans starts to reply with a lowered voice. "My real name is _Sharpay Elizabeth_, but I just can't stand my first name. It sounds like I was named after the family dog, so I've always gone by Elizabeth."

Sharpay just stares back at her in shock before busting out in laughter. Elizabeth joins her and they both giggle into the bathroom. "I love you, Sharpay." "I love you too, Grandma Sharpay."

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As there are no coincidences in life, the Boltons are members of the Albuquerque United Methodist Church. Therefore, there were no difficulties reserving the church for Nickie's ceremony.

Troy and Sharpay are surprised that the church is full of people, mostly students from East High School. The entire basketball team and the scholastic decathlon team take up three rows. Then, there's Mr. Matsui and his family and Mr. Langford, sitting next to him, and most of the faculty from the school, including a remorseful looking Mrs. Darbus. Friends of the Boltons take up a large amount of the pews and the small church is almost filled to capacity. It's almost overwhelming.

The immediate family sits on the front row with Henry Evans already positioned at the pulpit in his full vestments. He is wearing the traditional black robes with a long white sash which hangs around his neck and drapes down to below his knees. Troy and Sharpay are holding Nickie and standing off to the side of the pulpit. The organ starts playing and silence falls over the church as Robbie and Lizzie Evans, dressed in acolyte robes, enter from opposite sides of the sanctuary carrying candlelighters. They both have overly serious looks on their faces as they complete their tasks of lighting the candles on the long table in front of the pulpit. Once they are finished, they sit down together over to the side. Sharpay can see both of them flash a nervous smile at their parents. Bill and Jennifer Evans return those two awkward smiles with ones of encouragement and pride. Sharpay is briefly stuck by a pang of jealousy which she immediately feels ashamed of when she sees the love and acceptance reflected in her father and step-mother's eyes being directed to her and Troy. Before Sharpay can reflect upon this, her attention is drawn to her grandfather as he begins the ceremony.

"Christening a new baby is one of my most treasured duties as a minister. Today's duty is made even more treasured by the fact that the baby presented here today is my first great grandchild, little Nickie." Then, with a smile on his face he indicates for Troy and Sharpay to bring Nickie forward.

"Brother and sisters in Christ:

Through the Sacrament of Baptism

we are initiated into Christ's holy church.

We are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation

and given new birth through water and the Spirit.

All this God's gift, offered to us without price.

Who brings this child?"

At this cue, Troy and Sharpay step forward to recite their part.

"We present Lisa Nicole Bolton for baptism."

Then, Nickie is delivered into her great-grandfather's arms as he addresses her parents.

"On behalf of the whole church, I ask you:

Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness,

reject the evil powers of this world,

and repent of your sin?"

Troy and Sharpay respond, "We do."

"Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you

to resist evil, injustice, and oppression

in whatever forms they present themselves?"

"We do."

"Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior,

put your whole trust in his grace,

and promise to serve him as your Lord,

in union with the church which Christ has opened

to people of all ages, nations, and races?"

"We do."

"Will you nurture this child

in Christ's holy church,

that by your teaching and example they may be guided

to accept God's grace for themselves,

to profess their faith openly,

and to lead a Christian life?"

"We will."

Mr. Evans addresses the congregation,

"Do you, as Christ's body, the church,

reaffirm both your rejection of sin

and your commitment to Christ?"

The congregation responds, "We do."

"Will you nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and include Lisa Nicole now before you in your care?"

The congregation reads their response.

"With God's help we will proclaim the good news

and live according to the example of Christ.

We will surround Lisa Nicole

with a community of love and forgiveness,

that she may grow in her service to others.

We will pray for her,

that she may be a true disciple

who walks in the way that leads to life."

Henry Evans quietly walks over to the baptismal font and removes the ornate lid from the baptism bowl and places it to the side. Then, carefully holding Nickie in one hand, he dips his other hand into the water and says,

"Lisa Nicole Bolton, I baptize you in the name of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit."

Nickie is watching him curiously when he then sprinkles a small amount of water on her head and her face immediately turns into a frown and she lets out an loud and very unhappy scream. Sharpay immediately steps up and retrieves her daughter from her grandfather.

The people respond, "Amen." And many can't help but chuckle at the timing of the prayer.

After Sharpay has had a chance to calm Nickie down, Henry places his hand on her head and recites,

"The Holy Spirit work within you,

that being born through water and the Spirit

you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ."

The people respond, "Amen."

"Now it is our joy to welcome

our new sister in Christ."

The congregation says,

"Through baptism

you are incorporated by the Holy Spirit

into God's new creation

and made to share in Christ's royal priesthood.

We are all one in Christ Jesus.

With joy and thanksgiving we welcome you

as a member of the family of Christ."

And Henry concludes the ceremony by addressing little Nickie, still safely ensconced in her mother's arms.

"The God of all grace,

who has called us to eternal glory in Christ,

establish you and strengthen you

by the power of the Holy Spirit,

that you may live in grace and peace."

"Nickie's family would like to invite everyone to the community room now for refreshments. Thank you for joining us in this most blessed event."

The organist starts to play and the congregation immediately starts to stand and move out of the sanctuary. Then, Troy steps forward and clears his throat.

"Every...everyone, please. Please, stay seated. I have something I want to say."

Sharpay gives him a puzzled look. This wasn't in the rehearsal. Everyone sits back down and he continues, "Today, we are here with our friends and family, those who are most important to us; here to share in our daughter's baptism." Then, turning to Sharpay, he says, "Sharpay, I know I've asked many times before and you have turned me down. But now the time just seems right."

He starts to go down on one knee while simultaneously reaching into his pocket for something. Elizabeth Evans quickly steps up to take Nickie out of an open-mouthed Sharpay's arms: one, so she can respond to Troy and two, so she doesn't drop her daughter.

Troy reaches for Sharpay's shaking hand and says, "Sharpay, will you marry me and complete our family?"

The audience oohs and awws at his unexpected question. Her tears are already flowing and Sharpay tries to quickly blink them away. Troy holds the ring which he just pulled out of his pocket to her finger. He stops there, awaiting her answer, and looks up at her with a mischievous look in his eyes and whispers to her, "You don't have to look under anything for the ring this time. It's right here, out in the open."

Sharpay's eyes narrow and she whispers back, "You knew what I was doing and you didn't say anything?"

"Well", he says as he tips his head shyly to the side. "I had this whole big plan, you see?"

The whole church is waiting on pins and needles for her answer. Everyone can tell they're talking to each other, but no one can quite make out what they're saying. Then, realizing that every eye in the church is staring at them and waiting for an answer, Sharpay looks lovingly down at Troy and says, in a loud, clear voice, "Of course I'll marry you Troy Bolton. I love you."

Troy almost drops the solitaire diamond engagement ring when he tries to slip it on her finger, but he catches it in mid-air and manages to get it seated on her finger on the second try. Troy can just barely make out Chad's voice from the second row as he comments on Troy's quick reaction time and a winning basketball season.

The entire church bursts out in applause when he finishes. Troy rises to his feet and turns to face the congregation while holding tightly to Sharpay's hand. She squeezes his hand tightly and pulls him to her to say something to him over the roar of the clapping.

Troy's face pales noticeably and his glorious blue eyes widen in obvious shock. He says something back to Sharpay and then, they both turn to Henry Evans and talk to him in lowered voices. The applause has died down now and everyone is watching the three people up on the altar curiously. Henry Evans' eyes widen also and he says something back to Sharpay. She nods and he starts to flip through his Methodist Hymnal, frantically searching for something.

Troy and Sharpay turn back to the now quieted church and Troy clears his throat as he begins to address the congregation once more.

"Ummm, well, we'd like to invite everyone to stay around for a few more minutes, if you don't mind?"

Sharpay smiles lovingly up at her fiancée and says to the their friends and family, "Yes, we'd like to invite you to our wedding."

"Yeah, which we'd like to happen in about three minutes", Troy finishes meekly.

Exclamations of distress are immediately heard from every female sitting on the front row (with the exception of Nickie who is currently sleeping peacefully through all the ruckus).

"But we've had no time to plan." -- from Lisa Bolton

"What about the photographers?" -- from Jennifer Evans

"And flowers?" -- from Elizabeth Evans

"Can I be the flower girl?" -- from Lizzie Evans

"Please... this is what we _really_ want", implores Sharpay.

Then, Henry Evans steps up and announces triumphantly, "I've found the ceremony."

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Can you believe the looks on everyone's faces?", Sharpay mumbles loudly. She is staring intently into the mirror while she brushes her teeth.

"Yeah that was something", Troy replies from the other side of the bathroom door, but he sounds somewhat distracted.

Sharpay finishes her teeth and starts to touch up her make-up. She lifts her left hand and rotates it slowly under the harsh bathroom light. "Aaaahhh...", she sighs. The diamond solitaire to glinting beautifully along side the gold band.

"I can't believe my grandmother let me borrow her wedding band. We'll have to buy our own tomorrow. I don't think they cost very much, do you? ... You're being awfully quiet out there... Troy?"

"Yeah?", he answers breathlessly. "I'm here."

"Well, I didn't actually think you had left, now did I?"

"What?"

"I'll be out in a minute. Just be ready."

She runs the brush through her hair one more time. Then, she looks at herself in the full sized mirror on the back of the door. _Wow, the moment of truth. _ She and Troy have been intimate for months and had seen each other completely nude more times than she cared to count, but this ... this was different. Tonight she was trying to dress seductively and somehow that in itself was more intimating and sexier than just being naked. _ Well obviously, Sharpay. Otherwise, stores like Victoria's Secret wouldn't exist. I still can't believe I'm wearing my mother-in-law's negligee. Well, not really. I mean she showed me the tags to prove it had never been worn. And it is sexy. The outside world would never guess that conservative Lisa Bolton would have so many lovely and sexy pieces of intimate apparel to choose from. I just hope we're that _active_ when we're their age._

Lisa insisted that Sharpay take her new babydoll set. The sheer black top is trimmed in pink satin and has a pink ribbon tie in the back and a black satin boosting bra. The matching black G-string has a ruffled front and string sides and is also trimmed in pink satin. Lisa practically threw it into Sharpay's suitcase while they were frantically packing for their impromptu honeymoon, after their impromptu wedding. Well, honeymoon is pushing it. It's more like a night alone in a fantastic hotel suite in the ritziest hotel in town, The Tipton. Tomorrow it would be back to real life. She is already missing Nickie, but she knows she's safe and happy with her grandparents.

Shaking off her feelings of guilt, she checks herself once more and satisfied with her appearance, Sharpay cracks the door open and calls out, "Troy? Are you ready?"

"Turn out the light, Shar", Troy orders from the main room.

She reaches back and flips the light off as she steps out of the bathroom. The main lights are turned off and it takes a minute for her eyes to adjust and for her brain to discover the source of the dim lighting.

Candles... Candles of every shape and size are placed all over the room. There must be over fifty of them casting a soft glow over everything.

"Oh, wow", Troy whispers as he sucks in his breath at Sharpay's appearance. He is leaning back against the fluffed up pillows on the bed. Wearing nothing but a white terry-cloth robe which is opened up showing off his smooth chest, he is trying his best to look casual and failing miserably.

"Oh Troy, this is beautiful. How did you? ...", Sharpay starts to say as she enters the room. Her question dies instantly when she spies Troy on the bed. She stops and unconsciously wets her lips as she gazes lovingly,_ and admit it, Sharpay_, lustfully, at him.

"I...I wanted to make it special, but you're the one who's beautiful." Troy clears his throat and says more forcefully, "Come over here, Mrs. Bolton."

"Of course, Mr. Bolton."

The End.

A/N: Wow, this is IT, ladies. We're done. This is the longest thing I've ever written and HSM fans are definitely the best. I hope everyone liked it. Please review and let me know what you think. If you are one of those people who don't review until the story is finished... well, this is it, so make with the reviewing.

I'd like to really thank my beta reader, Trish, for all the help she's given me. I couldn't have done it without her.

As for the future, I've thought of a couple of one-shots I'd like to do about their future life, but those will probably have to wait until I've worked on some of my other fics. I have a very clear picture of where Baby for Sale will go, but I'm stuck with Why... That poor girl is just so messed up. Anybody have any ideas?

I'm going to try to update my other fics more regularly now, but I'm just extremely busy as I've started a part-time job and just don't seem to have enough time in the day to do all that I want to do.

Start date: Tuesday, December 26, 2006.

End date: Tuesday, December 26, 2006.


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